The Greatest Adventures of Hatake Kakashi!
by Orodruin
Summary: It started as a straightforward mission: catch the kidnappers that plague the town of Kusanagai. However, when a 6 year old Kakashi's role of playing the bait to draw the kidnappers out goes horribly right, things keep getting worse!
1. Important Shinobi

The Greatest Adventures of Hatake Kakashi!

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It would be kind of creepy if I did.

This started out being something very short. I had been brain-storming various missions a young Kakashi might have had for one of my other stories and this was the idea that I liked the best. Then I decided I wanted to do it in detail instead of just mentioning it in one sentence or one paragraph after which no one would hear of it again. So it easily fleshed out into 7 chapters!

Important note: Later parts of the story refer to the events of Chapter 1 of The Meaning of Death. You'll still be able to enjoy it if you haven't read that story, but you'll enjoy it even more and have a better understanding of what's going on if you've read at least that one chapter.

Important note 2: Spoilers for the Yellow Flash's real name are now included.

Chapter 1

Hatake Kakashi, the Important Shinobi!

"Minato," the older man started slowly, eyes focused on the six-year-old at the blond man's side. "Do you believe Kakashi capable of taking on the responsibilities of a B-ranked mission?"

The younger man barely hesitated before replying, "He is more than capable, Hokage-sama."

The older man nodded, "Good. There has been a request for a B-Rank mission which I believe the two of you would have the greatest advantage in completing."

The Sandaime nodded to his assistant who picked up the appropriate scroll and handed it to the Jounin.

"As you will see," the Sandaime continued, "A village in Grass Country has been having difficulties with a mysterious abductor stealing away their children…"

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama," Minato interceded when the man paused, "But if the village is in Grass Country, why haven't the Kusa-nin taken care of it?"

"The people of Kusanagai have already attempted to hire teams of Kusa-nin," the Hokage supplied, "But when both teams failed to locate the abductor or put an end to the abductions they turned to us for help."

Minato nodded in understanding—Grass was only a small country, after all, and it wouldn't be the first time they had turned to their much larger and more powerful neighbor for assistance.

"It is my suggestion," the Hokage continued, "That you have Kakashi go there and pose as a normal child. He will… entice the abductor to act and that is when the two of you will strike back. So far the abductor has targeted children of four to six years of age, around Kakashi's age, so you can see why he is so important to this mission."

The blond nodded, "He is the youngest shinobi in the village, the only others close to that age are still in the Academy and it would be dangerous to put them in a situation like this where we know nothing of the actual danger."

"Correct," the Hokage confirmed, "I'm afraid that whether he was skilled enough or not, this is a mission that no one else can do. But I am pleased that you believe him to be ready."

"What's the estimated duration of this mission?" Minato wondered, "It sounds like it could take several weeks, depending on how apt the abductor is on taking our bait… Do you think Sakumo-san will approve to Kakashi being away for so long?"

"Sakumo will understand," the Hokage assured him, "Kakashi is a Chuunin, after all."

"He wouldn't care, anyway, sensei," Kakashi added coolly.

* * *

"You'll need to dress in civilian clothes," Minato commented as they approached the boy's house after leaving their meeting with the Hokage.

"Civilian clothes…?" The boy repeated uncertainly, a thoughtful frown on his face as he mentally perused the collection of clothes he possessed.

Minato grinned at his student, "I'll help you find some, Kashi-kun," he offered, ruffling the boy's hair.

Kakashi offered him a half-hearted glare before leading the way inside his house and up the stairs to his room. He opened his closet and pulled out his traveling pack, plopping it on the floor and pulling it open. This mission was different from others he'd been on. He'd never been under cover before but knew that it would take different equipment than he was used to. He looked up at his teacher expectantly.

"Take out your extra uniform," the man directed, crossing to look into the closet, "You won't need it. And only bring a minimum supply of weapons that you can hide on your person."

Nodding, Kakashi began to empty out the bag while his sensei rooted through his closet. He carefully put his extra things away—slipping past the man in the closet door to hang up his uniform—and then looked up at his teacher again. "Sensei…?" He prompted the frowning man.

As if broken out of a trance, the man suddenly slid the door shut and turned to face the boy, grinning, "That's alright, Kakashi, we'll just buy you some clothes and write it off as a mission expense."

Kakashi blinked in surprise, "Why? I have some civilian clothes." He opened the closet again and rummaged through the back before pulling something out.

"Kakashi… that's not exactly…" Minato started to say awkwardly.

"Look," Kakashi interrupted, folding back a piece of the clothing to reveal a small holster, "It only has three pockets for hidden weapons… and it's completely inappropriate for shinobi wear."

"That doesn't make it civilian wear," Minato said blandly, looking at the small, black kimono with mild fascination that bordered on horror—he couldn't imagine Kakashi in something like that. "I meant like what the villagers wear. Have you ever seen them wear something like this, Kakashi-kun?" He held out a sleeve of the small outfit to drive his point home.

"Yes," Kakashi answered blithely, completely missing the point.

"At someplace _other_ than a funeral?" The blond questioned with exasperation.

Kakashi frowned and didn't answer—what difference did it make?

"We'll _buy_ you some clothes," Minato repeated, "Besides, that thing looks too small for you, anyway."

Kakashi shrugged and put it back in the closet, then picked up his nearly empty bag and followed his teacher outside.

Minato took the six-year-old to a store he'd never been to before, full of brightly colored and impractical clothing. Toys, too, not that the two shinobi were interested in them as they began perusing the racks.

Kakashi didn't care about the toys at all. The only reason he found himself staring at them every few minutes, he rationalized, was because they were pointless little things that he couldn't begin to imagine the draw of. What kind of a person, he wondered, staring at the brightly colored objects, would choose to tinker with things like that when they could be improving themselves with things like… plain, black kunai…?

Before long the six-year-old gave up all pretense of looking at clothing to explore one particular useless object that had caught his attention. Not that he was really interested in it, of course, being much too mature for things like toys.

Still, the boy glanced around surreptitiously before he cautiously reached out to pet the soft fabric body. He smiled slightly—it was soft with short, fuzzy hair that felt good against his callused hands.

Another glance and he risked giving the thing a slight squeeze—the insides were as soft as the outside. Hesitantly, he reached out a second arm to join the first and carefully eased the toy from its shelf, as though he thought that if he moved slowly enough it might look like he wasn't really interested in the stupid thing at all.

"I think it suits you."

Kakashi jumped slightly and dropped the stuffed dog back on its shelf immediately, looking guiltily up at his teacher. But Minato was grinning and trying (and failing) to stifle laughter. "Really, Kakashi," he said enthusiastically, "If you carried something like that around with you," he gestured towards the small, white and brown dappled puppy, "You'd look even more like a normal kid!"

Kakashi stared at the glossy brown eyes of the toy puppy before turning a baleful expression towards his teacher, "I'm a shinobi, sensei, I don't need a stupid toy dog to complete my mission." He shifted his weight impatiently, "Did you find some clothes?"

Still snickering, Minato held out what he'd found and directed the boy to the changing rooms. After leaving the six-year-old to get dressed no his own, Minato went back to purchase the dog with a wide smirk, and stuffed it into Kakashi's bag just before the boy was done.

Kakashi emerged looking uncomfortable as he tugged at the bright orange T-shirt he wore with a pair of dark blue jeans. He self-consciously ran a hand down a pale scar on his arm and didn't meet his sensei's eyes. Minato raised an eyebrow at the hitai-ate and mask the boy still wore.

Grinning, he again forcing down his snickers—they wouldn't be appreciated, he knew. Minato nodded, "Good. But you have to take your mask off, Kakashi. And your hitai-ate."

"Sensei," the boy began coolly as he untied his hitai-ate, "A Hatake _always_ wears his mask on missions."

"Not on missions where he goes in undercover," Minato countered. He smiled at the boy's doubtful expression, "Trust me, Kakashi. Even ask your father, but he'll tell you the same. You can't go undercover like that—how many civilians have you seen that wear masks?"

Reluctantly, the six-year-old pulled the mask off over his head, pouting up at his sensei moodily once he'd finished. Minato couldn't quite muffle the laugh that escaped him and the irritated six-year-old immediately began to pull the mask on again.

"I _told_ you," he grumbled with irritation.

"No, no, no," Minato quickly moved to stop the action before he had the mask all the way back over his head, "It looks good, Kakashi, really! I was just... surprised."

The boy eyed him suspiciously, "Surprised about what?"

Minato hesitated a moment, deciding no six-year-old boy—and shinobi at that—would suffer being called "cute". He smiled, "I was just surprised with how perfect you look for your job. Just like a normal little kid."

Kakashi continued to eye him doubtfully before he slowly removed the mask again and put it in the bundle with the rest of his clothing. "So I have to wear _this_ to Kusa no Kuni?" The boy asked disdainfully—Minato grinned at the pout that reappeared as he did so.

The man nodded, "We'll buy you another set in Grass Country, too. Let's go back and drop off your uniform and let your dad know that we're going—if he's in. Then I'll get a change of clothes for myself and we'll go, alright?"

The boy nodded, gathering up his bundle of clothes, and the two set out again.

Very politely, Kakashi requested that Minato wait outside while he ran in to return his clothing, leaving his bag with his teacher. That done he ran back downstairs and slowed, reluctantly letting his feet lead him to his father's study. He came to a complete stop outside the door and just stared, craning his head in an effort to hear beyond the door.

Finally, he slid the door open and stood awkwardly in the doorway, eyes landing on the elder Hatake.

"… Dad…?" He started uncertainly.

The man didn't move or make any sign that he had heard the boy. But Kakashi was quite used to this by now and reluctantly stepped inside, approaching the figure.

"Dad?" He asked again, stopping right next to the man and cautiously touching his hand.

The man jerked and Kakashi took a quick step backwards as a kunai sliced through the air where he had been standing a second before. The man's dark eyes settled on where he'd crouched in defense and Kakashi watched in fascination as several emotions played through them before the man finally identified him.

"Kakashi," Sakumo's voice was a little rough from disuse but Kakashi didn't mind. He was just pleased this was one of the days his father could still recognize him.

"I'm leaving, daddy," the boy explained, "Sensei is taking me on a mission… I might not be back for a while."

"A mission… good, good…" The man mused distractedly, holding out an arm towards the boy.

Hesitantly, Kakashi stepped forward and allowed his father to take hold of him. The man frowned slightly and his dark eyes narrowed a little in confusion. "Kakashi? What happened to your mask?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's an undercover mission," Kakashi explained, "Sensei said I couldn't wear it because I'm supposed to pretend to be civilian."

"Mm… That's a good idea…" Sakumo struggled to hold on to the elusive thing that was sanity and forced himself to focus on his son again, "Are you training with your teacher?"

The six-year-old blinked, then frowned, "No, I'm going on a mission," he corrected.

"A mission," Sakumo repeated distractedly.

"An undercover mission," Kakashi elaborated.

"You shouldn't wear your mask, then," the man offered.

"I won't, dad," Kakashi agreed, "… Dad?"

"Hmm?" The man asked, his focus off someplace else again.

"I have to go," Kakashi said, "You need to let go of me."

"Oh, right… sorry," Sakumo said awkwardly, releasing the boy's arm, "Have a good day at the Academy."

"Dad, I'm—" Kakashi broke off and shook his head, "Never mind. I will dad. Bye!"

His father didn't reply as Kakashi hurriedly let himself out of the room and shut the door behind him. He paused, taking several deep breaths, then pushed the idea of his father out of his mind and hurried outside to join his teacher.

* * *

"You look so serious, Kakashi," Minato commented lightly, shifting his civilian clothes to make them a little more comfortable.

Kakashi blinked, dispelling his thoughts, then looked up at the man, "This _is_ serious, sensei." It was his first B-ranked mission and he wasn't going to bungle it.

"Yes," Minato agreed absently, "But you aren't here on a mission, remember?"

"What?" The boy asked, frowning.

"We're moving here for my job," Minato prompted.

"Oh, you mean our cover story," Kakashi said with understanding.

Minato smiled with amusement, "From now on, you should keep that in mind, Kakashi. It would be best not to forget it later on."

Kakashi nodded again and set about recalling their story—where Uzumaki Minato and his son, Kakashi, were moving to Grass Country for work. Where Kakashi was just a normal, civilian boy, and didn't have a half-crazy father at home to take care of.

"You have to loosen up a little," Minato interrupted a few seconds later, "You're too serious to be taken as a normal little boy. Smile or something."

"Sensei…" Kakashi started—he didn't feel like smiling.

"Just try," Minato insisted.

With a sigh, Kakashi drew up his lips into something that could barely be called a smile. His heart wasn't in it and Minato cringed.

"Better stick with pouting, I guess," the man advised.

Kakashi frowned, his lips unconsciously forming a pout as he did so. "I don't pout, sensei," he responded coolly.

Minato's lips twitched as he fought to keep a straight face, "No, no, of course you don't, Kakashi-kun."

The six-year-old looked at the man suspiciously but let the subject drop. They were almost to Kusanagai, anyway.

* * *

The first thing Minato did when they entered town was to register himself and his student—"son"—with the local council. They knew of his coming—at least, they knew as much as the cover story had led them to believe—and accepted the pair readily enough, although their gazes lingered on the six-year-old with a mixture of fear and concern.

Then they rented an apartment. Again, the Hokage had already had someone deal with the bulk of the paper work, so all Minato had to do was sign in and receive the keys—one for Kakashi and one for himself.

They left their things there and went into town again, this time for clothes. They had no way of knowing whether the abductor would risk revealing himself to a child dressed as a foreigner, after all, and while Grass and Fire Nation fashions weren't that different, they were enough so that Kakashi would stick out a little more in clothing they'd purchased back in Konoha.

The main difference was color. While civilian fashion in Fire Nation tended to favor bright colors—red, orange, and yellow—not so for Grass Country. In Grass, the civilians tended to wear more muted colors—tan, gray, and browns. Almost more like shinobi clothes tended to be.

Minato equipped the six-year-old with a new, gray shirt, with the proud symbol of Kusagakure in thin black lines, along with brown pants that had vertical tan lines that resembled grass rimming the bottom of both legs. Once the boy had changed Minato announced that he looked as though he'd been living there all his life and Kakashi sent him a well deserved glare.


	2. Save the Day!

The Greatest Adventures of Hatake Kakashi!

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't have to think of little witty comments for my disclaimers.

Thanks for the kind reviews, I appreciate hearing from you guys!

One quick note because I know you're all probably going to point this out to me... There is a character in this chapter named Sakura... with absolutely no relation or similar appearence to Haruno Sakura. That is to say... it's another horrible coinsidence on my part... Because I wasn't even thinking of H. Sakura at the time and I didn't feel like changing it later. It's a common name. At least, in my fandom it is.

Chapter 2

Hatake Kakashi Saves the Day! (Almost)

Kakashi stalked up to his teacher with all the purpose of a six-year-old boy and threw what he carried at the man with enough force to make Minato grunt a little as he caught it. The six-year-old's pout was in full force and his dark eyes were clouded with anger.

"I _told_ you, sensei," he huffed with irritation, "I don't need a stupid toy."

Minato held up the stuffed dog that had been thrown at him and smiled, "Aw, but he's so cute, Kakashi! And you're supposed to call me Tousan, remember?"

"I don't _like_ toys, _Tousan_," Kakashi ground out, "And I don't _want_ him."

"Did you decide what to call him?" Minato asked, looking the puppy in its glassy, brown eyes, "Maybe… Spot."

Kakashi scowled, "I'm _not_ carrying that thing around, se… Tousan." He stated firmly.

"You really seemed to like him at the store," Minato commented innocently.

"I _don't_ like stuffed dogs, Tousan," Kakashi reiterated firmly.

"Oh, come on," Minato said, "Didn't you have any stuffed animals when you were younger? It'll add to your chibi-factor, you might need it since your smile's hopeless."

Kakashi's scowl deepened, "I don't want it."

"Why not?" Minato asked.

"I just don't," Kakashi insisted. He hadn't played with toys in years.

"If you can't even think of a reason, then you should take him," Minato insisted again, "Trust me, you two look cute together."

The six-year-old shot him a furious look and violently snatched the toy from the man's hand as he held it out. Minato smirked and shook his head in bemusement after the boy as he stormed from the room. Even Kakashi, he thought, had to have had a toy _sometime_ in his life. With a shrug, the man reluctantly stood to get ready for the day.

* * *

Kakashi stared awkwardly at the other children who had all gone about doing their own activities after he'd been introduced. In Grass Country, civilians went to school starting around age six—Minato had decided to say he was five, and he was small enough for this little lie to pass. 

To the boy's disgust, his teacher had been right, the stuff dog did add to his _chibi-factor_. It grated on his nerves every time some woman told him what a cute little boy he was in an irritating, high-pitched coo. Idly, he wondered what would happen if he clued them in on the fact that he knew well over a hundred ways to kill a person.

"What would you like to do, Kakashi-chan?" The boy looked up at the voice to find the woman he'd been entrusted to standing over him, looking sympathetic. "Do you see anything you would like to try?"

Bewildered, Kakashi shrugged. He knew he was supposed to act like a normal little kid, and he figured that probably meant he would have to do whatever the other children were doing, but he wasn't quite sure what to say or do. He'd never really had to deal with other children. Not since his time in the Academy, at least, and even then he'd been left pretty much to his own devices.

"Should we go see what the others are doing?" The woman suggested in a friendly manner, "Maybe you would like to join some of them."

Kakashi shrugged again and trailed after her as she led him over to a group of children playing with a ball. Idly, the six-year-old noted that at least this activity increased hand-eye coordination and strength. It wasn't as effective as kunai practice, but it wasn't as pointless as some of the other activities, at least.

"Would you like to play ball?" The woman offered.

Kakashi glanced around at the other groups of children. Some played with small figures, others were getting themselves filthy in a pit of sand. Some were chasing each other around mindlessly and some were trying to form some sort of make-believe game—at least Kakashi assumed that's what the little girl directing her peers around with a shrill voice was attempting. He nodded, whatever game they were playing with the ball, it would likely be much preferable to those other activities.

* * *

Minato idly swung his legs from his tree branch, well aware that he should be concentrating more on keeping an eye on his student. But he was nineteen and there was only so long he could stay still and watch a group of four and five-year-olds playing silly little games. 

He had reached that limit several days ago and was about ready to die from boredom—he wondered if that was a legitimate excuse to get him on the Hero's Stone, at least. He stared absently up at the tree-top, wondering how long they would have to keep this routine up. He sincerely hoped that it wouldn't be much longer.

He glanced down at the playground, eyes scanning the children, but there was nothing unusual. As there hadn't been for the last four days. Kakashi had apparently given up dealing with the other children as he was sitting off to the side by himself, idly playing with his stuffed dog in a tedious effort to keep up the image of a normal—if maladjusted—five-year-old boy. Still, he looked a little more listless than usual. Minato couldn't blame him, being bored stiff himself.

The trees were different in Grass Country than they were in Fire Nation, Minato noted absently, looking up at the tree branches again. They were generally smaller with less branches, and altogether sickly looking. At least, they were sickly compared to the vibrant green of the trees in Konoha. But Grass wasn't known for its trees. It was known for the green leaves of waste-high grass Minato would have to be careful wading back out through. Then he'd spend all night trying to get rid of the various bugs that would have climbed out from the grass and onto him.

He glanced back across at the playground, eyes scanning all the children. Of course there was nothing unusual. There hadn't been anything unusual for the last four days. Kakashi was…

Minato's thoughts ground to a halt and he stiffened in his tree, scanning the clearing again. He scoured the area the boy had been sitting, but he didn't see any sign of him. Even the stuffed dog was gone. Cursing to himself, Minato jumped down from the tree and hurried through the grass, then went the long way around to the playground where he attempted to make himself look as calm as possible.

"Sakura-san," he called out as he approached.

The woman, primary caregiver to the children under her watch, looked up at him with a surprised smile from where she was helping a little girl fix a toy cat, "Oh! Uzumaki-san, you're here early!"

Minato smiled and nodded in return, trying not to scan the clearing too obviously, "Yes, well, I've been worried about Kakashi. He doesn't really open up to other children very easily. I thought we'd spend the afternoon together."

Sakura grinned, "That's a good idea, he has been having a bit of a hard time fitting in. But I'm sure he'll grow comfortable soon enough. He's right over—" she stopped, frowning, and looked around only to not find the small, white-haired boy in the last place she'd left him.

Her smile became a bit strained as she looked at Minato again, "Anô… Uzumaki-san, just hold on a minute. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, I'll just ask the others where he is…"

Minato smiled and nodded, watching her go off to talk with her assistants while trying not to panic. Kakashi probably just got bored and wandered off. He _was_ six-years-old, after all, even a six-year-old Chuunin couldn't be on his best behavior _all _of the time.

Except that Kakashi was.

Kakashi would never disobey orders, even for a second. Minato didn't wait around, already knowing. The plan had worked, in part. Kakashi had enticed the abductor to strike again. Whoever this guy was, he was good, to have overpowered a Chuunin without even making enough noise to alert those around him. It had even gone unnoticed by him, a Jounin.

Cursing under his breath, Minato began thinking furiously.

* * *

Kakashi fought to remain asleep. In the dark of his unconscious mind it was comfortable. Whereas the reality worming its way into his mind was not so much. 

He wasn't sure, exactly, why it shouldn't be comfortable, and slowly began dredging up memories. He'd been in Kusanagai with his sensei. Playing as a civilian boy in some kind of… communal day care. He'd been sitting with his dog and…

Kakashi frowned, brow wrinkling in concentration. He couldn't remember his sensei picking him up or going back to the apartment. It was almost like he'd fallen asleep right in the middle of the park. Only, he hadn't been tired. And whatever he was laying on, it wasn't soft like the grass.

And it stank. And he could hear noises. The young Chuunin dragged himself regretfully from his sleep and opened his eyes.

It was dank, there was little light, and the smell of mold and the odor of humanity was stronger than ever. He couldn't see much besides a stone floor and his own arm when he woke, and he quickly shifted into a sitting position.

The noises suddenly silenced and he found himself staring at several young children and being stared at in return. That's when he knew.

"I've been kidnapped," Kakashi stated in shock. He couldn't remember anyone grabbing him. He didn't recall being knocked unconscious and his head didn't hurt enough for a physical blow.

_Some kind of drugs, maybe…_

A girl, perhaps his own age, cautiously stepped forward. She sniffed and asked bravely, "Are… are you alright…?"

Kakashi nodded, he wasn't hurt as far as he could tell. Slowly, he got to his feet—the others shuffled warily away from him, except for the girl.

"Where are we?" Kakashi asked her, "Do you know what they want with us?"

The girl shook her head, "None of us know…" She sniffed again, "We just… wake up here and they just... leave us..."

"The bad-guys comes and gives us food, sometimes," a small boy with mousy brown hair and large, gray eyes supplied.

"How long have you been here?" Kakashi asked with concern, "What do they want with a bunch of kids?"

"We don't know, idiot," a black haired boy snapped tensely, Kakashi could tell from the strain in his voice that he was reacting in fear to the situation rather than a dislike of him.

Kakashi nodded shortly. So they didn't know what these guys were doing with the kids. Probably not just killing them, they would have done that right away. So, using them for something—but what, Kakashi couldn't imagine. What could a bunch of civilian five-year-olds do?

He felt for his weapons and slowly smirked. Whoever they were obviously didn't expect a five-year-old to be armed and all his weapons were still where he'd left them. That would take care of the mission, then.

He crossed to the door. They were in what looked like a regular cell. Iron bars made up the first wall, the other three were stone. A wire mesh had been fixed over the bottom half of the bars, the holes too small for little heads, arms, or hands to fit through. Obviously, they'd learned from problems in the beginning.

But none of that mattered to a resourceful young Chuunin like Kakashi.

"Someone come give me a boost," he directed as he crossed to the door.

"For what?" The black haired boy asked, watching him suspiciously, "You can't get out through the bars, we've tried."

Kakashi slid a long, slender needle from his shirt sleeve and twirled it around in his fingers—it glistened in the dim light. "You don't need to go out through the bars if you can open the door," he stated coolly, "Now someone give me a boost so I can reach the lock."

The children moved closer to him, excitement and hope in their whispered voices and eager smiles. The black haired boy wore a guarded expression, "You can really open that door?"

"If I can reach the lock," Kakashi said pointedly.

The boy smiled a little, relief replacing his nervousness, and he quickly moved next to the door and got onto his hands and knees, "Here, climb on my back."

As the others watched anxiously, Kakashi stepped carefully onto the other boy's back and stuck his arms out through the bars—he was just tall enough to reach above the mesh with this boost. He felt for the lock and expertly stuck the end of the senbon into it.

It was an old lock, they obviously weren't in the most secure facility, and Kakashi worked it open quickly. He stepped off the other boy again when he heard the release snap, then paused to look at the other children as the boy picked himself up to his feet.

"You need to stay very quiet," he directed seriously, "And stay close to me. If anything happens, I'll protect you."

"… Who are you?" The girl from before asked, her eyes wide.

Kakashi smirked a little. "I'm Hatake Kakashi," he answered, "Konoha's genius ninja."

There were awed exclamations immediately as Kakashi pushed the door open and led the way out.

"You're really a ninja?" The mousy haired boy asked, mouth as round as his eyes.

"I'm a Chuunin," Kakashi confirmed, "A middle-rank ninja. Now, remember, be as quiet as you can."

"A-anô…" A boy that couldn't have been much older than three, with pale, curly hair, started awkwardly, stepping forward with wide eyes.

Kakashi paused, looking down at him warily.

The boy awkwardly held out the small, brown and white stuffed dog he was carrying, "Anô… Here's… here's your puppy back… Kakashi-niisan…" The little boy looked down, face flushed.

The six-year-old felt a smile threatening to break on his lips, like he hadn't felt in what seemed to him a long time. He shook his head, "I'm going to need both my hands right now. Why don't you carry him for me for a little while longer, okay?"

The younger boy smiled and hugged the stuffed toy to himself again, muttering, "Okay, Oniisan," into the puppy's fur.

"Alright, ready to go?" Kakashi asked, looking around again.

There were nods all around from the party of five children, making an even half-dozen with Kakashi added in, and Kakashi led the way out of the cell.

He didn't have any idea where he was going, of course, but the other children were sure that he knew exactly where he was going and he didn't feel the need to correct them. He led the way down a hall and up old, stone steps that looked well used.

They made an awful lot of noise, Kakashi thought, as their feet scuffed the stairs and the youngest one, a girl who could barely pass for four, stumbled occasionally, but they made it to the door without incident.

Kakashi tried the handle and wasn't particularly surprised to find it locked. There was no keyhole and he didn't want to risk the use of one of his only two explosion tags so early. He frowned in thought.

Stepping away from the door slightly, Kakashi gave the wood a solid kick. It wavered but remained intact. Frowning deeper in concentration, Kakashi focused on his chakra and tried again. This time the wood splintered under his chakra enhanced assault with a loud bang. Ignoring the exclamations of surprise and delighted wonder behind him, Kakashi expanded his senses and snuck into the hall, glancing around warily in case his opponents were skilled at masking their chakra signature.

Seeing no one, he motioned the other children to fall in behind him—and hissed at them to _be quiet_ again. He followed his instincts, taking turns and leading the way up another two levels. Once they had been forced to double back and find a room to hid in, but otherwise it seemed to be going well.

The simple fact that they hadn't run into opposition yet made Kakashi nervous. And being forced to hush the others twice more didn't help his nerves—they seemed to think that if there hadn't been trouble yet there wouldn't be any. But Kakashi _knew_. Whoever it was that had kidnapped him _had_ to be better than this.

The third floor up from their cells was the first from which they saw daylight. Windows looked out at deep shafts in the ground, letting only a little light and fresh air down into the underground rooms. Kakashi hesitated, looking at the windows, before deciding it would be best to get outside as soon as possible. With the black haired boy's help, he forced the window open just far enough that they could climb through.

The bottom of the shaft was muddy, but no one complained. The mousy haired boy even grinned, squishing his shoes around in the mud a little. Kakashi couldn't help but smirk. If it had been adult civilians he was rescuing there would have been a general outcry when they were forced to trudge through mud.

The wall of the building was deteriorated and weakened from the moisture and Kakashi pulled a kunai from where he'd strapped it on his left thigh, under his pants. Taking advantage of the weakened stone, he used the kunai to chisel a small handhold into the surface of the wall. Then he made another, as high as he could reach and, belatedly, carved in a foothold about half that height. With one foot in his last hole and gripping the upper hold tightly with one hand, Kakashi carved another hole then took another step up, shifting the kunai to his other hand.

He continued this until he reached the top, then stopped to look around. It looked like a manor of sorts, he decided, ducking down as a guard walked past. Some twenty meters from the building wall stood the massive stone wall—a fence, probably—not dissimilar to the one surrounding Konoha—although Konoha's was primarily built from wood. There were guards there, too, but their attention was focused outwards, not inwards, for now.

He climbed out of the hole and motioned for the others to follow. They had a little more difficulty than him, but with the older girl helping the younger and the small, pale-haired boy clinging to the black-haired boy's pant leg as he climbed, they made it.

Kakashi had been busy formulating a plan as the others climbed, and now that they were all huddled around him he turned his attention back to them. He'd never tried to explain plans to children younger than himself. The closest thing he could think of was the few times in the Academy when he'd been called upon by his classmates to lead them in some scheme, but even then it had been different.

"I'm going to distract the guards," he whispered to the others, hoping he was making things simple enough for them to understand, "You five stay here. I'll blow a hole in that wall over there," he pointed to it, just in case, "That's when I want you guys to run as fast as you can, out the hole."

"What about you?" The older of the two girls asked with concern, "Won't the bad guys get you, then?"

Kakashi smirked, "I'm a ninja, remember? I'll be fine. And I'll catch up with you guys later." He paused a moment and added, "Don't stop for anyone… Unless it's a man with crazy bright yellow hair and a stupid grin. He's my sensei and will help you guys out… Just tell him Kakashi sent you."

"Does he have hair like this, Oniisan?" The mousy-haired boy asked, messing up his hair so it stuck out terribly. Some of the others giggled nervously and Kakashi nodded.

"Hai. Something like that. And it's bright yellow."

"Like… like a flower?" The younger girl asked, flushing shyly.

Kakashi nodded again and asked, "Do you all remember what to do?"

The Chuunin cringed as all the kids tried to tell him at once and he quickly motioned them to silence. "Okay, okay, one more time. You wait right here until you see the hole in the fence. Then you run really fast until you meet the flower man. Got it?"

There were a few giggles and nods and Kakashi pulled out his explosion tags and his second kunai—which had been strapped to his other thigh. He wrapped the tags around the base of the kunai as he spoke, "I'm going to explode part of the wall to make the hole," he explained, "Have any of you seen fireworks? It's like that…" He looked at the fence with a keen, measuring glance, "It will probably take two explosions, so wait quietly until you see the second."

When he'd received a few murmured confirmations from the other children he raced out of hiding, practically a moving blur as he approached the fence. He got as close as he dared before he chucked the first kunai at the wall and veered away from it as guards suddenly swarmed over the partially destroyed wall and ran towards him. He ran away from the half formed hole and the guards followed. When he was as far as he could get without missing his target range, he threw the second kunai, taking care to make it look like he was aiming for one of the chasing guards.

It exploded when it struck the weakened portion of the wall, and this time a large section of it completely collapsed to rubble, forming a large hole at the base of the fence. The six-year-old immediately turned his attention back to the more pressing problem of dodging the few shuriken that the guards threw with some accuracy. In the same movement as his dodge, he swept up a few of the shuriken for himself as they ricocheted off of the pavement, then sent them back at the guards with much grater accuracy than they had managed.

He didn't have time to watch them hit as he was forced to duck under a sword slash and turn his attention to the three men with katana that had cut him off from ahead. He rolled out of the way of a vertical strike and used one of his senbon to block the third man's sword that came down before he could pick himself up.

The needle gave a momentary defense before it cracked, holding off the blade for long enough that he was able to get out of the way. He pulled out his second senbon from his sleeve and jumped away, stabbing a fourth guard—who had just gotten near enough to attack—in the neck and pulling it out again as he sank lifelessly to the ground.

Kakashi jumped out of the way of another volley of shuriken—one of the swordsmen shouted at the guards who threw them, but Kakashi didn't pay the yell any attention as he only barely avoided the sword swing that followed. He threw his senbon at the second swordsman, but the man only flinched, slightly distracted but relatively uninjured from the imprecise throw. Still, the third katana grazed his side before he could get out of the way, and the next he didn't have a chance of evading and he caught it in his hands instead, the blade cutting into his palms.

Still holding the blade, Kakashi kicked the man in the groin—not caring if he was fighting fair anymore—then, when the man doubled over in pain, he kicked him again to send him stumbling into his fellows. Kakashi was about to run when pain suddenly flared at the back of his neck.

He had barely a second for confusion to take over his mind before everything went black.


	3. The Shiranami

The Greatest Adventures of Hatake Kakashi!

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did... there'd be guns. Or at least more gun-like devices.

Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad that you're all liking it so far. The week always passes so quickly for me... hopefully it passed quickly for you, too, waiting to find out what happens next to little Kakashi. On another note: this chapter contains spoilers for _The Meaning of Death_ Chapter 1, if you haven't read that yet... Not that you have to go read that if you don't want to, I'm just mentioning it. Enjoy the chapter!

**Sakujo: Bouei Koware Me**- Mind: Defense Break

Shiranami - whitecaps; thief

Chapter 3

Hatake Kakashi and the Shiranami!

"Zemin-sama," a voice said, "I think he's waking up."

Kakashi only reluctantly did as the voice suggested, pulling himself from blissful unconsciousness to aching awareness. He mentally tallied up the injuries he had sustained as he became aware of them. His side and hands stung uncomfortably from bandaged wounds. His back and head ached—he thought he felt blood on his face, but it could have just as easily been mud. That accounted for the sword injuries and the knock someone gave him along with the subsequent tumble, he surmised.

Opening his eyes, he found he was back in the underground structure. He didn't recognize the room, but the air had the same damp scent to it and the building materials were the same as the cell he'd been in with the other children. Briefly, he wondered if they'd managed to escape. If they did, they might run into his sensei and lead him back here.

The six-year-old pushed those thoughts from his head as there were much more important things of immediate concern for him to worry about. Like the fact that he found himself tied securely to a chair in a cell-like room with two men he didn't know. He didn't have to know them to know they were his enemies.

"Who are you people?" Kakashi demanded, regarding the men suspiciously and casually testing the ropes that bound him, "Why have you been abducting children?"

The second man, whom the other had referred to as Zemin-sama, spoke with amusement and a cruel smile. "My, my, such a big word for such a little boy. At first I thought you were under a Henge, but apparently you're not. Just how old _are_ you, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi couldn't help the surprise that showed on his face. First because the man had called him –san, and then because he knew his name in the first place. "How do you know my name?" The boy demanded, ignoring the question.

"Come now," the man said, his voice betraying a slight irritation, "An answer for an answer. Be polite, boy… I suppose they don't teach diplomacy at the Ninja school of yours, do they?"

"I'm six years old," Kakashi growled, "Now answer _my_ question."

The man smirked, apparently back in good humors, "Hatake Kakashi, the Chuunin sent to rescue these poor kids, right?" He asked in an amused tone, "They were very easy to coax answers from once I'd gotten them back."

The man paused, smirking wider at the dark look on the boy's face, "My turn. What village are you from, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi scowled, "If you're a shinobi, and you do talk like one, then you know I can't answer that."

"If you're a shinobi, and you do claim to be one, then you know there are less pleasant ways of obtaining information," Zemin returned coolly.

Kakashi swallowed with difficulty at the insinuation. "You mean torture," he said quietly.

"Your village…" the man prompted.

The six-year-old squashed down the fear that rose up in him at the thought of torture. He shook his head, mind working overtime to think of a way out of his predicament. Then it came to him, "You never answered my question," he accused.

"Oh?" the man asked.

"Why have you been abducting children?" Kakashi reiterated.

Zemin shrugged one shoulder lazily and glanced at his companion, "A man has to make a living somehow, eh, Renshu?"

The younger man chuckled a little and nodded in agreement, "Yes, Zemin-sama.

"Now, I've answered your question," Zemin pointed out, turning back to Kakashi, "Be good and answer mine. I'm sure we both would like to forego the dirty alternative… you more than me, most likely."

"… Kusanagai hired Kusa-nin to search for the children," the boy started reluctantly.

"That's nice," the man said absently, "But not what I asked." He loomed over Kakashi, "What village are you from? I won't ask so nicely again."

"Kusagakure," Kakashi lied smoothly, careful to keep emotion from his face.

"Fine," Zemin said, "We'll do this the dirty way… Just remember that you asked for it."

Kakashi eyed him warily and stuck to his story, "What do you mean? I answered your question!"

"I have contacts in Kusagakure," the man said lightly, "They would have informed me if a six-year-old brat had been made Chuunin." The cruel smirk twisted his lips again, "Now, let's see if we can persuade the truth from you."

The man raised a fist and Kakashi flinched back, shutting his eyes. It was one thing to get hit while he was fighting, he was used to it. But to be tied helplessly while someone beat on you—that was an experience Kakashi wouldn't mind not participating in.

Loud laughter reached his ears and, hesitantly, Kakashi opened his eyes again to see the two men, laughing heartily and not looking at all like they were about to hit him. His mind reeled in confusion and he watched warily as Zemin turned to him again, the younger man still chuckling.

"I'm not going to hurt you, boy," Zemin said at last, "Forgive me, but I couldn't help myself. A child playing as a shinobi—ha!"

The comment didn't help Kakashi's confusion at all, "What?"

"Besides," Zemin continued, "I already know where you're from. Konohagakure, right?"

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise and he tried very hard not to gape—after all, he wasn't wearing his mask to hide the stupid expression.

"It's easy to tell," Zemin continued, "From your accent." He turned serious again, a severe expression on his face.

"I wouldn't have gotten you involved, if I'd known," the man stated somberly, "The Fire Nation isn't one to be challenged over something little like this." He shrugged, "But there's no way out of it, now. I'll have to use _that_ Jutsu."

Kakashi tested the ropes again, just in case, but they were as tight as ever, and tied with good knots. The kind of knots one shinobi would use to restrain another shinobi.

"What are you going to do?" The six-year-old asked warily, trying to hide his unease.

"Leave Grass Country to Grass Country," Zemin said, "You never should have gotten involved, little leaf."

Kakashi felt a sense of foreboding, but there was nothing he could do as the man started a quick string of hand seals.

"**Sakujo:**** Bouei Koware Me**"

* * *

There were a lot of things that could go wrong on a B-rank mission. First and foremost, the typical B-rank mission always held the threat of death. Either the death of oneself or the death of comrades and dependents. Then, their were the numerous ways a mission could be failed, which varied depending on the class of mission. 

Minato had been a Jounin for several years now and a Chuunin for many years before that. He'd had a lot of experience with missions going wrong, needless to say, but that didn't make figuring out how to correct the wrongness any easier. Especially when the wrongness happened to be that his subordinate had disappeared without a trace.

The man knew, of course, that Kakashi was a very skilled young Chuunin and that he wouldn't go down without a fight… but, in all of that, he was still only a six-year-old boy and the young man couldn't help but worry. Naturally, there was also the overhanging worry that when the White Fang learned Minato had accidentally _lost_ his son… well, shinobi fathers weren't known to be particularly forgiving of things like that. Especially when said sons were only six years old.

"Uzumaki-san!"

Minato was so wrapped up in his own concerns that he didn't pay any attention to the child running up to him and even forgot that he was going by the name Uzumaki at the moment.

"Uzumaki-san!!" The boy repeated, finally catching up to him and stopping in front of him, causing the man to pause and look at him in surprise.

"Ah… Can I help you…?" The man asked awkwardly.

"I was just wondering," the boy started, "You're Kakashi's dad, right?"

"Eh? Oh, yeah," Minato confirmed awkwardly, idly wondering why no one found it strange that he had a son as old as Kakashi despite how young he was. He didn't _look_ old… did he?

"Eiji said he disappeared yesterday," the boy stated solemnly, "Did he really? Do you think the Shiranami got him?"

"Eh? Shiranami??" Minato asked in surprise.

The boy nodded, "My older brother said he saw them, and some of the other kids have, too," he reported somberly, "They wear white burglar masks and steal little kids, then they steal everyone's memories that they saw them."

Minato blinked, "If they steal everyone's memories then how come your brother and those other kids remember seeing them?"

The boy sighed. "They can't steal your memories if they don't know you're there," he said smartly, "They were hiding in the bushes."

Smiling, Minato was about to brush the boy away—he had more important things to do—when he paused. Looking down at the youth seriously, the man asked, "Do you know what other kids have been stolen around here?"

The boy looked up thoughtfully, "Anô… I think Suichi… And… Ginako-chan… Kazue…" He smiled with embarrassment and scratched the back of his head, "Anô… and I don't remember all of their names right now…"

"Do you think you could show me where their parents live?" Minato asked hopefully.

The boy nodded, "Suichi's parents live over by the dumpling store," he announced, leading the way.

Minato followed and there was silence most of the way. Then the boy spoke up again, uncertainly.

"Anô... Uzumaki-san...?"

"Hmm?" Minato asked, pulled from his thoughts again to see the boy looking up at him.

"Are you... are you going to find those bad guys?" The boy asked with concern, "Anô... you know, to get back Kakashi and the others?"

Minato smiled slightly, "Well, I'm going to try."

* * *

Kakashi came to groggily, feeling horrible. He tried to remember what happened—it didn't come easily. After struggling for a minute or two, it hit him and his eyes flew open, heart beating heavily in his chest. 

He remembered seeing his father's face contorted with rage, the Rock-nin kicking him when he tried to get away, falling under a heavy body as the man who carried him dropped dead in an instant. And, worst of all, he remembered the kunai flying into his mother's chest. The way the vibrant red blood had spilled out, staining her clothes and turning the dirt to mud.

He didn't see what was around him as he dug his fists into his eyes with a sound of pain, trying to block out the image that now played repeatedly through his head—that vibrant red against too pale skin. It was his fault. She was dead, and...

He began shaking, hugging his knees to his chest, breathing erratic. It was an accident. He hadn't known...

He wanted his mother now more than ever. But she was dead and it was his fault and he'd killed her and—

The boy's tortured thoughts broke off abruptly at the loud sound of a heavy door clanging shut. He looked up in surprise, taking in his surroundings for the first time. It was a cold, uninviting place, three walls made of crude stone and a fourth made of bars, looking out into a stone hall.

His eyes widened in fear and he scrambled to his feet, heart thudding in his chest almost louder than the approaching footsteps. He almost cried—he didn't like this place at all and wanted to go home. He didn't, though, feeling too depressed to even cry.

A man passed on the other side of the bars, pausing to glance in at him, and then stopping in front of him. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and an unreadable expression on his face as he looked in at the frightened boy.

The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment until, at last, Kakashi spoke, his voice quiet and more than a little frightened. "W-where am I?" He demanded, a little shakily, "Where's my daddy?"

"Hatake Kakashi," the man drawled quietly with disapproval that made the boy even more wary. He shook his head slowly, "I'm afraid you won't be seeing your daddy anymore."

Kakashi took a step backwards in alarm, "What do you mean?" He asked breathlessly, his chest aching for how hard his heart seemed to be beating.

The man simply shook his head sadly again, not answering.

"I... I didn't mean to!" Kakashi yelped quickly, running up to the bars in desperation, "I was only... she said everything would be okay! I didn't want it to happen!" By now the nearly hysterical six-year-old had tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Nobody wants these things to happen," the man intoned sagely, "But they do, don't they? And this is what comes of it, isn't it, Kakashi?"

Kakashi looked at the man warily, his tears slowing as he asked, "Is this... am I in jail?"

The man nodded somberly, "After all, Kakashi, you must be punished for what you did."

"But... I didn't mean to!" Kakashi reiterated, his body going slack as the fight left him. After all, he _did_ deserve it. He sighed, head hanging.

The man watched emotionlessly for a moment, then tossed a small object through the bars. Kakashi's head jerked to look at it, then up at the man in confusion.

The man had already turned away from the cell, but he seemed to sense the boy's gaze because he answered the unspoken question. "I was asked to return that to you," he stated simply before walking away.

Kakashi frowned in bewilderment and picked up the stuffed puppy, a little dirty and worn. He stared at it for a moment and then back up at the empty hallway as the door clanged shut again.

Fear and depression overtaking him again, the boy huddled up against the wall, knees drawn up and puppy hugged to his chest as he cried, wishing for a mother he knew would never come.

* * *

"Shiranami," Minato repeated to himself as he packed his and Kakashi's small supply of items into their bags—Kakashi had most of his items on him, besides the change of clothes they'd bought in Grass Country. The blond man frowned as he stuffed his student's half-empty bag into his own and drew the drawstrings closed. 

"That isn't Kusa dialect," he muttered to himself, "But I know I've heard it before..."

He picked up a scroll and unrolled it, glancing over a map of Grass Country. It was a small country, wedged between the Fire and Earth Nations. Not the best place to be during this time of war between the two greater nations.

Quickly, he located Kusanagai on the map, a small city about halfway between the Earth and Fire Nations, near the border of Udon Country—an even smaller country that didn't even have a hidden village. Using red ink, the young man quickly marked several other villages he'd heard mention of and noted with suspicious interest that most of them were even closer to Earth Country than Kusanagai.

He waited a moment to let the ink dry, then rolled up the scroll again and put all three items—the scroll, ink, and brush—into a pocket on his bag. He flung the bag casually over his shoulder and headed out to turn in his keys, a somber expression on his face.

* * *

They had made one mistake, Kakashi thought as he frowned at his cell wall with narrowed eyes—the stuffed dog was sitting beside him. They had given him, a genius even at the young age of three, time to think. 

Initially, he had been so overwhelmed by the fear of strange people in a strange place, not to mention that he was already distraught with the emotions pertaining to his mother's death, that he'd easily believe the story that had been fed to him. But... once the high intensity of emotion had given way to a restless exhaustion, he'd begun to notice things.

The first thing he noticed was how, in his memories, he couldn't see many faces. His mother's face, along with others, appeared blurred in his mind. His memory was normally sharp, and something like that wouldn't just fade over night, which first triggered his suspicions and he started to look at other things with a more critical eye.

His stomach was a lot flatter than he remembered, was the next thing he noticed. None of the baby fat that had rounded out his belly remained, instead it had been replaced with a stranger's lean muscle. His legs were longer. His arms were stronger. He had more teeth than he recalled.

Naturally, these things had initially confused him and he'd immediately begun the process of discovering what else was not as it should be. He was wearing a shirt of a horribly bright shade of orange. He could jump high enough to touch the ceiling. A tentative test of a jutsu he'd seen performed once resulted in a perfect copy of himself standing beside him.

Kakashi was not called a genius for nothing. The changes in his size and memory indicated that he was older than he thought. The changes in his ability indicated that he was probably now old enough to at least have entered the Academy. The shirt he wore was the one he wouldn't be caught dead dressing in—not a son of a shinobi, who knew the importance of stealth. He wouldn't even wear such bright clothes to bed.

He wasn't exactly sure what this last clue meant, but he thought it probably meant he'd been changed from his own clothes. The next question was: why? Why would they change his clothes?

Because what he had been wearing had been somehow conspicuous. Would have somehow made him stand out in an unfavorable manner.

Kakashi normally wore relatively plain clothes, so what could he have been wearing that would appear conspicuous on a child...?

He wracked his brain hard for what he might be wearing in the future—really, the present—but the only thing that he saw was his father in his mind's eye. He looked as awe inspiring as always in his dark clothes and mask, hitai-ate tied around his white hair and a green vest that marked him as one of the elite.

A moment later the genius had his answer. What would look suspicious on a young child? A hitai-ate. A mask. Ninja equipment.

As an Academy student, he wouldn't have been wearing any of that. But... as a Genin...

It was an easy conclusion to draw, and the next came just as readily.

He, Hatake Kakashi, with all his nearly three years of remembered experience, was actually an unknown amount older, a Genin, and on a mission. Because even as a Genin he wouldn't wear his mask and hitai-ate to bed, and if he'd had his ninja equipment removed, then it was only logical to assume he was on a mission.

His thoughts froze up on two very important questions, though.

Where was his commander?

And, more importantly, what was his mission?

* * *

"One second he was there, and the next he wasn't!" The distraught woman bemoaned. 

A second woman nodded forlornly, "Yes, that's how they work. No one knows how they do it, but time doesn't matter to them."

"Yours, too?" Minato asked in surprise.

The second woman nodded again, "It's been three years... back then they hadn't connected all the disappearances..." She gave a bitter laugh, "They thought it was someone with a grudge against my husband..."

Minato frowned, "Your husband?"

"He used to be a shinobi," the woman explained, then, glancing at the two others, added, "A ninja, that is. He got out of that business when we were married."

"You, too?" The first woman asked Minato.

The teen nodded somberly, "My son... it's only been two days... I was hoping to find some clues..."

"You won't find any," the woman returned, "Mine's been gone three months—they stopped looking for him after the first three days."

"I'm sorry we can't be of more help," the second woman added, and looked down bashfully, "If you... if you find them..."

Minato smiled, "If I find them... I'll do my best to get them back—all of them."

The two women smiled at him and thanked him profusely.


	4. Infiltrate the Enemy

The Greatest Adventures of Hatake Kakashi!

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This would've been one of the fillers, if I did.

Thanks everyone, for the reviews. I'm glad you're getting into this story. As you know, things are getting pretty bad for our heroic duo, and they're about to get worse. I'm not sure if this chapter qualifies as a cliff hanger... I really like cliff hangers (both reading and writing them), but I don't do it as often as I'd like. Oh well, enjoy the story!

Chapter 4

Hatake Kakashi Infiltrates the Enemy!

Kakashi woke abruptly at the clanging of the door. He cracked his eyes open, watching the corner of his cell as footsteps approached. His eyes followed the shoes as they made their way across to the barred door.

He heard the chinking of keys and the click as the lock opened. The door creaked on its hinges as it swung inwards.

"Alright, kid, I know you're not asleep. Time to go," the man said.

Kakashi opened his eyes and reluctantly got to his feet. He sized the man up cautiously, having no idea what his own limitations were but guessing the man was probably stronger.

"Where are you taking me?" The boy asked, eyeing him warily.

"You'll find out at the same time everyone else does," the man said coolly, "Now, come along."

Kakashi hesitated until the man grabbed his arm, jerking him towards the door. Kakashi pulled back just enough to pick up the stuffed dog from the floor. The man raised an eyebrow and chuckled dryly.

"Alright, kid, come on," the man ordered, jerking him again.

Kakashi scowled darkly and quickly followed him, allowing himself to be ushered in front.

He remained sullenly quiet as he was let through the door at the top of the stairs and directed through a series of corridors and staircases until the man opened a large door leading out into the cool night. He paused, trying to see through the dark, but he couldn't see any more than what was lit up by torches.

The man took him by the arm again, jerking him towards a nondescript wooden carriage. Two plain, black horses were already hitched up, stomping their hooves impatiently. The driver was already sitting in the front, but Kakashi couldn't make out any features of his shadowed face.

He looked back at his escort as they approached, eyes wide, "What's going on?" He asked with a calculated amount of fear and hope, "Am I not staying in jail, after all?"

"Think of it as a transfer, kid," the man replied, leading him to the back of the carriage and lifting him to place him inside, "As long as you do as you're told, you'll be fine."

Kakashi nodded and the man sealed the wooden door into place—Kakashi heard locks click into place. He turned around as whimpers and other pathetic noises caught his ears. The inside of the carriage was almost pitch black, but enough torchlight made its way through a small opening at the front, just under the ceiling, that he could see several other children: a small girl and boy and three larger children, two boys and one girl.

There was a long silence, broken only by muffled shouts from outside. The carriage jolted as the horses began forward and, finally, one of them broke the silence.

"Kakashi-niisan!" The smallest boy, with light blond curls, ran forward to envelope the taller boy with a hug, burying his face in Kakashi's shirt.

Kakashi looked down at him in surprise, having dropped his stuffed dog when the smaller boy moved. For a few seconds he didn't do anything, not at all sure what to do in a situation like this.

"Anô..." He began awkwardly, "Hello..."

"Mochi," the boy said.

Kakashi blinked, "Huh?"

The smaller boy's head turned up so they met each other's eyes and explained quietly, "My name's Mochi."

"Oh. Okay," Kakashi agreed awkwardly.

The young blond finally released him from the hug, but continued to cling to the older boy's arm as he led him to the side of the carriage to sit down.

"Any bright ideas for getting out of _here_?" A black haired boy asked with a touch of sarcasm.

Kakashi didn't say anything, head spinning with confusion already.

* * *

They stopped again about two hours later and seven more children were loaded into the carriage, making it a tight fit. None of them said much for the next hour of the ride, then they stopped for the second time. 

"Alright," a man said, opening the door in back and letting it drop down, "Everybody off."

The children hesitated, obviously afraid, staring at the man with wide eyes. Kakashi reluctantly gathered up his puppy and went over to the door, Mochi whimpering as he trailed behind him, still attached to the older boy by the hem of his shirt.

Kakashi allowed himself to be lifted off of the carriage and place on the ground, and soon Mochi was lifted down as well, and reattached to his arm. The silver-haired boy took the opportunity to look around. They had stopped beside a platform, lanterns lighting the area with dim light and long shadows. On the other side of the platform was a large locomotive—a vehicle Kakashi only vaguely recognized and couldn't come up with the name of.

A second man grabbed him by the arm before he had much time to get his bearings and jerked him towards the platform. Kakashi didn't resist as he was led towards the second section of the locomotive and shoved up a ramp leading into the dark interior.

"Kakashi-niisan..." Mochi whimpered in fear as they turned to watch the others be loaded on board.

Kakashi awkwardly freed his arm from the tyke's death-grip and put it around the younger boy's shoulders. "Shh... we'll be fine," he whispered into the shorter boy's hair, "Trust me, okay?"

The little boy nodded, pushing himself against the taller boy's side.

* * *

Minato looked down at his map with a frown, adding the final touches by writing in a red _"23"_ next to the circled Sougenn no Mura. He still had two villages left to visit, but it was overwhelmingly clear that this was not an isolated event, but one that was prevalent all across Grass Country. 

The real question wasn't about what was going on, but why the Kusakage hadn't taken steps to stop it.

Minato didn't like the answers he came up with.

* * *

They stopped slowly, steam hissing past the compartment. All of the children watched the door with nervous anticipation—most were beyond crying at this point, so it was silent. 

The door was slid aside with the grating squeal of metal against metal that made Kakashi wince. Morning light poured into the black area, almost too bright to face, making the faces of the men outside impossible to make out.

"End of the line!" One of the men yelled out, "Come on, move!"

The children hesitated—looking at Kakashi. Kakashi glanced around at them nervously before reluctantly getting to his feet and wondering miserably how he'd gotten to be the leader. But it was a burden he would have to carry honorably, as the son of the White Fang.

The other children filed out slowly behind him and Kakashi blinked several times in the sunlight, a half-asleep Mochi rubbing his eyes at his side. They were directed further away from the locomotive and Kakashi moved along mechanically as his vision started to return to normal.

"Alright, kids, this's going to be your home for the next coupla years, so listen up!" A man barked once they'd all filed out into the morning light.

Kakashi turned to look at the man speaking and lazily took in the colors of the man's uniform, until he froze at the man's forehead, eyes widening in shock.

It was something he would never forget, he was sure, even as his memory of people and faces faded with years. The carved symbol of a large rock sitting atop a small one would always be with him. First, with a flash of fear as a phantom pain blossomed in his side and he remembered the frightening images that seemed so fresh—the man choking him, kicking him, and another trapping him under his dead, bleeding body.

But the fear gave way quickly, though it didn't entirely disappear, as it was overcome by another, stronger emotion. Hatred and anger boiled up inside the small boy as the man snapped at them all. He couldn't remember her face, but he could remember his love for her, the gentle way she spoke to him, and the appealing smell that followed her everywhere. And he remembered the way the blood gurgled from parted lips, staining a pale face, streaming from a chest wound to spill onto her clothes and the ground. And he could remember the way he'd been ripped away from her side by a man dressed so similarly to this.

He was seething—it wasn't _his_ fault, it was _theirs_! If it hadn't been for them, his mama would still be alive and he would be at home, together with her and his daddy! He wasn't aware of the angry tears falling from his eyes until Mochi's grip on him tightened and the little boy whispered in concern.

"Kakashi-niisan... are you okay?"

Kakashi didn't answer but the tears stopped and he stiffened as the man's eyes flicked over to them, landing on the smaller boy by his side.

"Oi, brat! Didn't your mommy ever teach you not to interrupt your elders?" The man growled in annoyance.

Mochi was staring at him now, eyes wide with fear and small hands clenching into Kakashi's orange shirt tighter than ever.

"Jekai," the man continued, not looking away from the child as another man moved forward, "Show these brats what happens when they step outta line around here!"

"Hai, Takai-sama," the second man agreed, sauntering over to Kakashi and Mochi. "Alright, kid, you heard the boss," he growled as he neared them, reaching out, "Come on."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed and in a motion too quick for even him to follow he had extricated himself from Mochi's hold and kicked the man solidly in the jaw. Jekai stumbled backwards with muffled curses as he rubbed his jaw.

"Jekai!" Another man shouted.

"Damn kid broke my jaw," the man grumbled painfully, still clutching his chin.

"You little brat," the other man growled and three men were suddenly stalking towards him, with the man called Takai simply watching with narrowed eyes.

Kakashi watched them nervously, heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't take on three full-grown shinobi! He couldn't even take on one! He could hardly believe it was really him who had kicked the man who was still moaning with pain.

He glanced back at Mochi, who was watching with wide, concerned eyes, then looked back at the oncoming ninja. He bit down on his lower lip and tightened his fists in determination. He didn't know what good it would do, but he couldn't just give up, it went against everything he believed! After all, his father, the White Fang, would _never_ give up—and he was going to be just like his daddy!

"I don't know what you guys are planning," he muttered loud enough for them to hear, "But you're all cowards for wanting to pick on defenseless little kids."

Growling in anger, the men attacked.

Kakashi ducked under the leg of the first man, letting his body move as felt natural, and he grabbed the shin as it passed overhead, turning himself into a roundhouse kick to the man's second leg and letting him drop to the ground, hard. He slid to the side around the second attack, aiming a side kick at the man's pelvis, but the second man was more prepared than the first and jumped out of its way.

The third man flashed through seals and Kakashi threw himself out of the way as the ground beneath him turned to mud. The second man was back again, picking him up by the shoulder of his shirt and aiming a punch for his face.

Before the man could begin the swing, Kakashi had grabbed the hand on his shoulder with his own hand and spun around under the arm, taking the man's hand with him until he had it twisted unnaturally beneath the struggling nin. Kakashi used both hands to twist a little farther and heard a crack, followed by a sharp scream.

He released the man and jumped back as the first man came at him, recovered from his fall and more angry than ever. Unfortunately, he jumped back into the third man's range and had to roll to the side to avoid being captured.

"Gotcha," the first man growled, reaching for him.

Without enough time to dodge, Kakashi did the only thing that seemed natural from his awkward position. Unable to throw any effective punches or kicks from where he lay on the ground, the young Hatake bit down hard on the approaching hand.

The man cursed and pulled back, kicking him hard. Kakashi rolled with the blow, knowing from experience that it hurt less if he did. He started to get up, but stopped when a familiar pain made him freeze, breath catching in his throat.

Biting the inside of his cheek so he didn't cry out, Kakashi curled around the cracked rib, struggling to breathe around the pain—his breaths themselves ragged and closer to sobs than anything.

He didn't notice the third man until he was hefted off his feet, squirming with pain as the man scowled down at him.

"Little brat," the man growled, "Did Rasem hurt your side?"

Kakashi didn't answer, whimpering as he tried, ineffectively, to ease the pain.

The man snorted in amusement and dropped him to the ground. Kakashi yelped in pain as he hit and curled around his injured ribs again.

"Y'see?" He heard the boss, Takai, saying boisterously, "It's no use resistin' cause you'll just get hurt!" He sneered, "Behave an' do exactly as yer told and you'll be fine."

"Rasem! Take him to the isolation room," the man continued sharply, "Show the brat what happens when little boys don't follow the rules!"

"With pleasure," the other man agreed, shaking out the hand that Kakashi had bitten and glaring at the boy vindictively before hefting him up with his other hand. "I think you'll enjoy it, brat," he sneered as he carried him none-too-gently away from the other children, "It's _quiet_."

"Kakashi-niisan!" Mochi called after him in alarm. He wasn't the only one.

"Kakashi!" Several others cried as well.

The black haired boy turned towards Takai angrily, stepping forward, "What are you going to do with him?" He demanded boldly, the slightly older girl by his side looking torn between backing him up and holding him back.

"Kira," she started with uncertainty.

Takai took in the children's alarm with a little bewilderment. Every group of children coming in tended to be from many different places and they never knew each other well. For one of them to cause such an outburst from his fellows, something significant must have happened. And, seeing as how the children seemed to look up to him, as well, he could use it to his advantage, so long as he got the one child to cooperate, they all would, probably.

He smirked down at them, "Don't worry about your little friend," he said cruelly, "He won't be hurt as long as he cooperates." His smirk widened into a grin as a second thought hit him, "Or, rather, he won't be hurt as long as all of you cooperate."

The man received a multitude of confused, concerned looks, and he embellished with a wide grin, "You see, children, if any of you step out of line or break the rules... it is Kakashi-kun who will be punished... If you want to keep him safe, all you have to do is everything we tell you to do." He looked down at the black haired boy who had spoken out earlier, "Understand?"

"Hey!" The black-haired boy known as Kira shouted indignantly, "That's not fair!"

"I never said it was fair," Takai said seriously, eyes narrowed, "Now, step back in line or I'll see to it that your little friend gets a beating on your account."

"Kira..." The girl at his side repeated in concern.

The boy hesitated a moment before reluctantly stepping down, glowering at the man.

Takai laughed and continued with his speech as though he'd never been interrupted.

* * *

Minato glared at the map in frustration as he stood underneath the tree he had been using as a base for the last three days—ever since he entered this western area of Grass Country. He was sorely tempted to barge into Kusagakure—never mind that he'd never been there, and didn't really know where it was—and demand to know what was going on. That last village he'd been to said that they had requested the help of Kusa-nin, but the Kusakage had refused to send them any. 

Midorisougen had had the greatest number of children stolen, as well, numbering as many as 63 children stolen in the last four years, ranging from three to seven-years-old. After he learned of this, he wasn't particularly surprised to find out that the remaining children in the village were kept indoors—if unhappily—under constant watch. The fact that the Village Hidden in the Grass wasn't even making a pretense of helping them disturbed the Jounin greatly, though.

And all of his searching had pointed to one conclusion.

A loud caw from overhead brought Minato's head up and he stared at the hawk that circled overhead once before diving down in his direction. He wasn't alarmed in the least, recognizing the bird as one of the messengers used by the Hokage.

It alighted on a branch and Minato jumped to join it, gently releasing a small message scroll from the pocket the bird wore. It took flight again once he had his message, circling again before heading back to Konoha.

Minato watched it for a moment before unrolling the small scroll.

It was written in tidy characters, a shorthand that would be recognizable to any Konoha shinobi. It was a brief message and Minato read through it quickly. And then he read it through again. His mind translated out the meaning of each symbol instantly from years of practice, but he could hardly believe he had read it correctly.

"_Mission canceled. Cut losses and return home."_

If the message was interrupted by Grass-nin at any time of its delivery and decoded, all that would be known is that some other village had decided to pull out of a mission in their country. It didn't give away any details on the type of mission he'd been on, what losses he may have suffered, or where 'home' was...

Minato crumpled the paper in his hand and burned the message with a quick jutsu. _Cut losses and go home, indeed._ He glowered at the ashes as he brushed them from his hands. With the message disposed of and no reply sent, they couldn't even prove he'd ever gotten it.

Part of him acknowledged the wisdom in the Hokage's decision. Kusa was not a safe place to be with the war between Rock and Leaf as fierce as ever, and something larger than a simple kidnapping case was obviously going on here. But a larger, more important part of him wouldn't abandon his student if there was still any chance that he was alive.

He glanced down at his map again—tomorrow he would start searching for Kusagakure. He'd find out what happened to Kakashi—even if he had to burn down the entire Hidden Village!


	5. The Boy Sensei!

The Greatest Adventures of Hatake Kakashi!

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't need to video tape the anime every Saturday just so I could watch it. I do so I don't.

Once again, I thank everyone who reviewed. I enjoy seeing how other people are liking this story, especially since you seem to think I'm doing a pretty good job. It's the moment some of you have been waiting for... but you'll just have to read and find out if it's anything like you thought it might be.

Anô sa- excuse me / hey; used to get someone's attention.

Tenn - spot.

Jiji - uncle, an adult male around your father's age. This is a less formal/respectful form of ojisan.

Chapter 5 

Hatake Kakashi and the Boy Sensei!

Kakashi stumbled a little as he stepped out into the brightness of midday, the man holding the door open did nothing to help him. His side still ached, though not as badly as it had before, but he hadn't been healed before he was thrown in that small "isolation room."

He looked back at it warily, a small cube of darkness that the man suddenly slammed the door on, causing Kakashi to jump slightly. He felt confused and detached, and wondered how much time had passed—it had seemed like forever, the only thing breaking the monotony of his miserable existence was the food passed through a small slat in the door.

The man grabbed his arm and roughly pushed him forward, directing his staggering gait with little pushes and jerks if he got off track. Kakashi didn't even think of resisting and just stared at everything as he passed, overwhelmed by it all.

He was pushed forward to approach a group of somewhere between twenty and thirty children—Kakashi just knew it looked like a lot—with a familiar man standing in front, glowering at them as they performed a string of attacks. All of the children were at least as big as him, most were larger. When they approached the man, Kakashi recognized him.

"Takai," he said, frowning.

The man looked up at his name, then scowled, "That's Takai-sama to you, brat," he growled.

"... Takai-sama, you asked me to bring him to you...?" The man behind Kakashi prompted hesitantly when the man didn't continue right away.

Takai nodded sharply, "Leave him here," he directed, "But stay close by in case he refuses to cooperate."

The man let go of Kakashi and the silver-haired boy met Takai's eyes with a frown that, unfortunately, looked more like a pout on his young features. Takai smirked.

"Everyone, stop!" He barked out at the children in front of him. Then, "Kakashi, go join the line in front. You obviously know a thing or two about martial arts, so let's see how much you know."

Kakashi didn't want to go—he was tired, hungry, and sore—but he also didn't want to be put back in that little room. He hesitated just long enough to see irritation flash in the man's eyes before reluctantly joining the line of children.

"You know the drill," the man bellowed, "Do the sequence I tell you. Front kick, side kick, roundhouse, punch; side kick, hook, sidekick, punch. Go!"

Kakashi joined the others, frowning in concentration as he tried to remember what a roundhouse was. He glanced at the others as he finished the side kick and smiled slightly in recognition—he knew these moves, his mother had been teaching him.

The smile slid from the boy's face at the thought of his mother and he started turning into his roundhouse with a little more force than was strictly necessary.

With a cry, the boy fell to one knee, clutching his side which had suddenly sparked in agony. The other children ignored him, continuing with their form until Takai barked at them to stop. He stalked over to Kakashi and scowled down at him.

"What is it, brat?" He demanded with irritation.

Kakashi blinked his eyes hard to keep himself from crying, "I... I was hurt when Rasem-san kicked me..." He admitted breathlessly, "It... hurt again, just now..." He struggled painfully to his feet, clutching his side, "I'm sorry, Takai-sama."

The man frowned at him a moment longer then nodded with approval and grunted. "Huron!" He shouted out to the other man, "Take Kakashi to the infirmary and get him patched up! He's no use to me injured, fool!"

"Er, hai, Takai-sama," the man responded, hurrying over to retrieve the youth and lead him away again. Kakashi went with him sullenly, wishing for the hundredth time that his mama was there. But, of course, she couldn't be, and it was his fault.

* * *

Night found Minato in his tree, looking tiredly at the stars and wondering about the future. He sincerely hoped he didn't end up getting himself killed—he'd be no use to Kakashi dead, after all. But then, dead at the hands of the Kusa-nin might be better than dead at the hands of an enraged White Fang. Although, admittedly, the man hadn't been himself as of late, he was still a dangerous force to be reckoned with. 

"There's no use worrying about it," he mumbled to himself, "I've already made up my mind, so all that's left is to go through with it."

He nodded to himself and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, closing his eyes and attempting to will himself to sleep. He promptly didn't fall asleep, but refused to admit his failure to himself, stubbornly keeping his eyes shut and pretending to be asleep.

His brow furrowed when he heard the sound of horses hooves. And it furrowed further when the squeaking of wagon wheels followed.

_If I was awake... I might think it was strange for someone to be traveling in the night,_ he thought to himself, fully intent on pretending to be asleep.

The wagon and horses were very close by now, loudly rattling along. There was a loud _thunk_ as the wagon wheel went over a bump in the road, caused by the roots of the tree Minato was on, and fell back to the ground heavily. But Minato heard something else that made him immediately tense in the tree and his eyes to snap open—losing all pretense of sleep.

He'd heard the alarmed cries of children, muffled and watery with fear. He immediately jumped from the tree branch, using chakra to absorb the sound of his impact on the top of the wooden carriage. None of the mounted guards accompanying the carriage noticed. His sudden presence went unnoticed even by the driver of the carriage.

The Jounin leaned down and pressed his ear to the top of the carriage. He could hear childish voices mumbling inside, their words lost to the wood between him and them, before they went silent again a few minutes later.

Part of Minato reasoned that the children could be there for any number of reasons. It could be an attempt from one of the villages to keep their children safe. But, at the same time, he thought not. There were too many suspicious characteristics for him to believe that.

The Jounin settled down to wait.

* * *

Kakashi was released from the infirmary that evening with bandages around his chest and doctor's orders to take it easy the next day. He was escorted to the cabins where he was told he would be staying. 

They were long, wooden cabins, low to the ground. Each one housed thirty-two children, sixteen beds lined up along each wall down the entire length of the cabin. The other children were already there and Kakashi was shown to his bed, the one closest to the end of the cabin, and left alone.

He looked at it uncertainly, not moving, until the boy in the next bed over had the courage to open his eyes. His eyes promptly widened.

"Kakashi?!" He asked in surprise, jumping out of bed.

Kakashi looked around at him, bewildered, as others climbed out of their beds and ran over at the sound of his name.

"Oh, Kakashi! I'm so relieved!" A girl a little taller than him exclaimed, running up to him and actually _hugging_ him.

Kakashi stared at her and the others as if they were nuts.

"Takai-teme said you'd be alright," the boy who initially noticed him said, "But you've been gone so long... what happened?"

"How long was I gone?" Kakashi asked, frowning. He hadn't been able to keep track of time very well in that room.

"You've been gone for a whole week!" The girl exclaimed, letting go of him and stepping back to a more comfortable distance, "We didn't think you were ever coming back—we thought, maybe..." She trailed off, looking down and flushing.

"We thought they'd killed you or something," the boy finished, "They were really mad..."

"Kakashi-nii, Kakashi-nii," a little boy finally pushed through all the other children and hurried to Kakashi's side, immediately latching onto him, a small object dragging from one hand.

Kakashi blinked, then smiled a little. At least he knew someone, "Mochi, are you okay?"

The boy nodded, "But, Kakashi-nii... it's really scary here... I don't like it..." He mumbled into the older boy's shirt.

"I don't either," Kakashi agreed quietly.

"Oh!" Mochi let go of him suddenly, and grinned up at him, holding up the thing he'd dragged over—which turned out to be a small, brown and white stuffed puppy. "I kept him safe for you, Kakashi-niisan!"

Kakashi took the dog, feeling a little comforted by its presence.

"Anô sa... Kakashi-nii... what's his name?" The little boy asked, clutching onto him again.

"Hmm... it's Tenn, Mochi," he answered at length.

The little boy giggled.

Kakashi looked up at the others, frowning, "What is this place? I saw some older kids training earlier..."

The black-haired boy—apparently, the elected spokesperson of the group—nodded. "I don't really get it, but they're teaching us to fight," he said with a frown, "They say it's our duty to Grass Country, but they aren't even Kusa-nin, they're Iwa-nin, I think."

Kakashi nodded, "I recognize their forehead protectors, they are Iwa-nin."

The boy nodded, "I was thinking, since we aren't locked up, that it would be easier to escape from here..." He frowned, looking around at the other children and then at Kakashi, "But, if even _you_ can't beat them, and _you're_ a ninja..." He sighed, looking down.

Kakashi looked down, too, a thoughtful frown on his face. Then, slowly, a smile began to widen across it. When he looked up he was smirking, "I may be a ninja," he said, "But even better, my _daddy's_ a ninja. He's the _strongest_ ninja in the whole village! The Iwa-nin captured me once before, but he got me back, I'm sure he'll do it again!"

The other kids were looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "Really?" The boy asked, "Do you... do you think he'll really come?"

Kakashi nodded with more certainty than he really felt—after all, there was still the incident with his mother to keep in mind. "I'm sure he will. And then we'll _all_ go home."

* * *

The carriage slowed to a halt a short time later, not more than half an hour had passed since Minato had hitched a ride. They stopped at a station, a train was already there, impatiently blowing steam. 

The driver jumped off his seat and barked orders to the guards, who had dismounted, "Hurry up, hurry up! Get those kids outta here!"

One of the guards opened up the back of the carriage while the other opened up the door on one of the train cars.

Minato slid off of the carriage and to the ground, hiding in the shadow of the carriage as the children were unloaded from the back and directed to the train car. He watched this for a moment before forming a quick Henge and slipping out of the shadows carefully so as not to be noticed.

The guards didn't take any notice of the extra, blond child that filed forlornly onto the train with the rest of the children, and soon they were all enclosed in darkness and the train was off again.

* * *

The next day started early. Kakashi was shook awake by Mochi, who had convinced him that he should get to sleep in his bed. The young boy took very good care of him, leading him by the hand to the dining room, while the other children explained what was going to happen that day. 

First they would have breakfast, then they would be training for an hour and a half. They would have a break after that, for half an hour, then would train for another hour and a half. They would have chores to do, then they would eat lunch, and repeat a similar schedule of training and resting in the afternoon.

"I don't think I'll be going with you, today," Kakashi said, earning surprised looks from those around him.

"What do you mean?" The girl that had hugged him the night before asked. She had introduced herself as Amane and apologized, blushing, for not telling him their names earlier.

"I saw the doctor yesterday," Kakashi stated, "He told me to take it easy today."

"I thought they didn't hurt you!" The black-haired boy—who had been introduced as Kira the night before—exclaimed indignantly.

"I was injured in the fight when we arrived," Kakashi supplied.

Mochi shifted guiltily next to him and abruptly buried his face in Kakashi's shirt again, "I'm sorry, Kakashi-niisan!" He cried miserably.

Kakashi looked at him with confusion and awkwardly patted his head like a puppy, "Anô... it's okay, Mochi-kun..."

"But if I hadn' said anythin' then they wouln'a hurt you!" The boy bemoaned in a mumbled slur against his shirt.

"I'm sure they would have sooner or later," Kakashi offered, as though that should make everything better. "I don't like Iwa-nin very much."

No one asked why—they didn't like Iwa-nin very much, either. After being taken away from their homes and their parents... they didn't like Kusa-nin very much, either.

After breakfast, Kakashi was escorted back to his cabin and told to stay there until lunch—they would send someone to retrieve him. Then they left the boy alone.

Kakashi lay back on his bed, resting, for a good hour, tossing and turning on his bed before he finally stood. He had had entirely too much time to think while locked in that little room and he had no intention of simply laying there, thinking about what had happened any longer.

He would remember his mother's death, then remember that it had already been a long time since it happened, and try furiously to remember anything that had happened since then. It was a futile effort that tended to lead him to thinking about everything that had happened since he forgot—the underground stronghold and his subsequent transfer to and imprisonment here.

And that made him think about the other children, and what was going to happen to all of them. And what was going to happen to him. Would his dad really come for him? After he let his mother be killed right in front of him? Wouldn't he be angry? Maybe he would have been so angry that he wouldn't even want to rescue him.

With a rush of frustration and anger, Kakashi stomped over to the door. He stopped himself from ripping it open, but only barely, and he peeked out of it after he'd opened it a crack. He couldn't see any guards in the nearby vicinity, those he could see were farther off, busy with other children. He slipped out of the door and into the shadows of the cabin, as it was still early morning.

He crept quietly through the camp, moving from shadow to shadow and keeping out of sight as he familiarized himself with the area. It was like trying to sneak up on his mother in the garden. He started to smile at the memory, but the action was quick to fade. Because he wouldn't be able to do that anymore. He ran the back of his hand over his eyes quickly and forced the subject from his mind.

He was following along the massive wooden fence that stood around the camp when he saw that the gates were open. He waited in the shadows, watching as a group of children filed in; fourteen of them led by Takai and surrounded by other guards. The gates were closed as the last child walked through, a young blond boy.

Kakashi frowned, staring at him. Something about the blond child felt wrong, though he couldn't explain what. The boy stopped suddenly, turning around to look directly at him. Kakashi pressed himself closer to the wall, willing himself not to be seen.

He wasn't certain whether it worked or not, but a moment later one of the guards snapped at the boy to keep moving and, with a small jump and hasty apology, the boy quickly complied.

_They must be new here,_ Kakashi realized, slipping through the shadows to tail the group. He'd missed his own orientation, maybe he'd learn something useful.

The orientation wasn't much. Takai had already laid down the ground rules and he left them to get a tour with the guards. Kakashi hesitated a moment before following the man who seemed to be behind this operation—after all, his friends would help him figure out where he was supposed to be when he needed to know.

Kakashi paused in his following and blinked—when had he started thinking of Mochi and the others as friends? But, then, they were nice to him... and he wanted to protect them. So wasn't that what friendship was? Well, along with making fun of and hitting each other, he supposed. At least, that's what his daddy and Jiraiya did.

Shaking the thought from his head, Kakashi quickly located the man, who was just disappearing inside of a small building, and followed. He hesitated across the way from it, flat against another building to keep in the shadows, which were becoming smaller and smaller as midday approached.

The boy thought furiously—was it worth the risk to follow him in there? The thought of returning to that tiny, dark room made him shudder, but... what if he found something important in there?

_Daddy would do it—he's not afraid of anything,_ Kakashi told himself, building up his determination. Maybe he could find something to help them.

He looked around and waited, allowing one of the guards to turn the corner before racing for the door. He opened it quietly and slipped inside, closing it behind him. He played this game with his mama sometimes—well, before she had died; the thought stung at him but he pushed it away, he needed to concentrate. If he was as quiet as he could be, he might be able to sneak up close. But he had to be very careful of squeaky floorboards and shadows cast by the lights.

Luckily, no one was in the room immediately on the other side of the door. There was an office door in the back of the room, slightly ajar. Cautiously, Kakashi crept towards it, keeping near the wall and wishing his shirt wasn't such an obvious shade of orange.

As he got closer, he could hear voices inside. He bit down on his lower lip and tried not to breathe very loudly as he edged along the wall, closer and closer to the door.

"The first batch should be ready in a month or two," he heard Takai's voice as he came up near to the door.

There was a pause and then the man spoke again, "Yes, yes, they know all of that, sir. I think you'll be pleased with the results. Well worth the expense."

There was another pause, Kakashi's eyebrows were furrowed with concentration—he didn't completely understand what was going on, but he was sure it was important.

"Well, they have been training continuously for the last four years. You'd be surprised what even children can accomplish when frivolous things like fun and family are cut from their schedules," Takai said.

Kakashi frowned—it sounded as though he was responding to someone else, only he didn't hear anyone else's voice. Silently, he slid a little closer to the doorway.

"That's right," Takai said, "Twenty-six in the first batch. We can provide you with about three dozen every two months after that. Or we can keep them longer and send them to you in larger numbers, if you want."

Again there was silence and Kakashi carefully leaned to the side, turning his head around the frame of the door to see inside the room. He pulled back almost immediately, then took a moment to review what he'd seen.

Takai stood in his office: a spacious room with a wide desk, a window, and several filing cabinets that were very full, if the one drawer he had seen into was any indication. The man had been seated on his desk, looking over a paper when Kakashi looked in, and holding a strangely shaped device up to his face. One end made contact with his ear while the other hovered around his mouth.

Kakashi wondered if it was some kind of radio—he had seen his father's radio once and had been told that he used it to speak with his troops. He had even been given a demonstration when his daddy gave him one and ushered him outside while he kept the other. Kakashi had been amazed when he heard his daddy's voice, right in his ear, even though the man wasn't anywhere around. He had wanted to keep it, so he could hear his daddy even when he was on missions, but the man had chuckled and told him that most of his missions would be well outside the range of the small radio.

Kakashi cleared the thoughts of his father out of his head, hoping he would actually get to see him again, and listened as Takai began talking again.

"Yes, sir. We will send the twenty-six to you in a month so you can test them against the Fire Nation." A brief pause, "No, thank you, sir... Yes, sir... Goodbye, sir."

Kakashi's eyes had widened at the mention of the Fire Nation and he tried to piece together the clues. The answer came easily but was a little frightening to think about.

"What are you doing here?!"

Kakashi looked up in surprise, scrambling to the side as he saw Takai standing in the doorway, frowning severely at him.

"I... I was looking for you... sir!" Kakashi explained anxiously, looking guilty.

The man's eyes narrowed, "You were listening to my call," he accused disapprovingly, "How much did you hear, brat?"

"Anô... something about sending twenty-six to test at Fire Nation," Kakashi lied awkwardly, "Anô... What are you going to test at Fire Nation, Takai-sama?"

"Hmm? What are we...?" Slowly, Takai's expression relaxed—Kakashi remained cautiously tense. "Just some new devices, none of your concern, Kakashi. Now, what did you come here for? You were looking for me?"

Kakashi's mind raced for a reason, "I... I've been resting all morning," he offered, feeling his face burning red—he wasn't at all used to lying and felt that if his mother knew she'd probably box him around the ears a little for doing so. But maybe she would understand why he had to. "I... feel a lot better now! And... it's really boring in my cabin all by myself... so... anô... I was hoping I could join the other kids, now..."

The man stared at him critically for a moment. Kakashi was sure he was going to see right through the lie. But, slowly, the man nodded, with a look of understanding, "It can be pretty lonely in isolation, can't it, Kakashi?" He asked in an almost sympathetic manner, "You probably miss being around other people." He nodded again, "Very well. After lunch you can join the others. Be sure to join the third year group with activities, you're at their level already, I think. And remember to behave yourself," he added sternly, "You wouldn't want to be sent back to isolation for another week, would you?"

Kakashi hastily shook his head and started for the door. Halfway there he remembered to be polite, and turned around to hastily thank the man before practically running through the door.

Takai watched after him with suspicious, narrowed eyes.

* * *

Minato slipped out of the cafeteria, using a simple Genjutsu to remain unnoticed. Outside, he jumped silently to the roof of the building and used it to begin his exploration of the camp. 

_Shinobi Rule #3: Know your surroundings._

It was essential to find out every detail of the camp before he made any brash decisions. He was fairly certain he and his student could take on whatever the Iwa-nin could throw at them, but it would be a lot more trouble than it was worth. If they could find an easier way, instead, that would be better.

* * *

Kakashi went outside with the rest of the children after lunch. Mochi was, as usual, glued to his side, and Kira seemed to think he was his bodyguard. The thought amused the silver-haired boy who doubted the other would be much help in any fight that he couldn't handle himself. 

"We have training down at sector 4 now," Kira explained, leading the way, "It's down by the wall, this way."

Kakashi nodded, following.

Three guards were waiting for them, and upon their arrival, the training began. Kakashi wasn't sure what he'd expected, but this wasn't it.

The first half an hour consisted of a mixture of push-ups and highbred sit-ups that consisted of twisting one's body so the elbow approached the opposite knee. This was followed up by fifteen minutes of running in place, and another ten minutes of push-ups and the same highbred sit-ups. Then, finally, they worked on martial arts moves... that is to say, they worked on stances. Kakashi was bored out of his mind three minutes into it.

He was only half paying attention to what was going on around him when his attention was stolen by a shrill bird call. He blinked, body still moving automatically. It only now occurred to him that he had yet to hear a bird call since he got off the train. He supposed he hadn't noticed it because of how overwhelmingly loud everything had seemed to be upon coming out of isolation, but now the single bird call had caught his attention sharply.

It wasn't that the bird call in itself was strange. Contrarily, it was one he recognized in Konoha, having heard it many times. It belonged to a small, bright bird his mother called a Cardinal, but it seemed strange that one might be all the way out here as they lived in trees and he hadn't seen any of those, either.

He was puzzling over this as the call came a second time, indicating that, no, he hadn't imagined it. He glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed. The children were all looking quite exhausted and didn't appear to have noticed anything. But the Iwa-nin were glancing around in some confusion before they shrugged it off.

It was only because he had been thinking about radios earlier that the next thought entered his head. That same day his daddy had told him about other signals Konoha-nin used when they couldn't use radios. Typically, they used bird calls.

He racked his mind until he remembered what the Cardinal meant. It was a call to regroup at dusk—or dawn, whichever came first—when the sky turned red from the setting—or rising—sun. Kakashi glanced around uncertainly, was it really another Leaf-nin? He listened intently for the rest of their training period, but the bird call did not repeat itself a third time.

* * *

Kakashi lay awake in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling and trying to push off the feeling that the walls were closing in on him. Taking a shaky breath, he cautiously reached a hand up in front of him and sighed in relief when it met only air. 

He hadn't been able to get away at sunset. The children had all been closely watched. Carefully, he slipped out of Mochi's grasp, allowing the small boy to snuggle up with his stuffed puppy, instead.

He really hoped the other shinobi would still be waiting for him. Kakashi wasn't sure what he'd do if he wasn't. He pulled on his sandals and started to the door when the thought struck him suddenly.

_Where am I supposed to meet this guy?!_ His eyes widened in concern. The bird whistle hadn't said anything about that! At least, not so far as he knew.

With much trepidation, the boy slid up next to the door, pressing his ear against it to listen for any noise. He didn't hear anything, and quietly slipped outside.

He paused, looking around, but didn't see any sign of where he should be going.

_Maybe at the training grounds... where I heard the signal...?_ He thought uncertainly, heading in that direction after carefully looking around once more.

The rows of cabins were dark and the walk was empty. All of the children were exhausted after a long day of training. Kakashi didn't blame them; even though he wasn't very tired himself, his side was a little sore. He thought he'd probably be tired if he weren't a ninja, because he remembered getting tired out after only an hour of training with his mama.

All thoughts of his family and training were suddenly thrust from his head as someone attacked him from behind, one hand covering his mouth and the other securing his hands. His body reacted out of instinct, trying to smash an elbow into his attacker's gut—had his attacker been roughly his height—and, when that failed and he was held tight, he immediately attempted to trip up the person behind him.

Still, his attacker seemed to be wise to the tricks he hadn't even learned yet, and held him firmly before leaning closer to whisper in his ear, "Calm down, it's just me."

Kakashi frowned in confusion—just who? Reluctantly, he forced himself to stop struggling and was relieved when the hands released him. He darted away immediately, turning around once he thought he had a safe distance.

His eyes quickly scanned over the blond boy in front of him, watching him back with cool blue eyes. Kakashi's forehead furrowed, this was the kid that had looked at him while he was exploring. "Who are you?" He hissed.

The blond pouted in an exaggerated manner and crossed his arms, "Aw, Kashi-kun, you don't recognize me? I'm hurt!"

Kakashi wasn't entirely sure whether he was serious or not—he'd seen Jiraiya act this way with his father before, and his daddy's usual response was to throw something at him if he thought Kakashi wasn't watching, or just glare if he thought he was. Still, Jiji was a very strange man, so what he did wasn't necessarily how other people acted. And he also knew he'd forgotten a few years of his life—no telling how many—so it just as well might be true that he knew this boy.

"I don't recognize you," he stated dryly.

The other boy heaved a sigh but when he looked up again he was grinning, "That's alright. After all, you probably have never seen me like this before, have you? And you really wouldn't be expecting to see your sensei in a place like this, right?"

"Sensei?" Kakashi repeated incredulously, looking at the blond again, "My sensei can't be a little kid!"

"Hey!" The blond hissed, "Keep your voice down! Kakashi, what's gotten into you? It's just a Henge. Anyway, let's get out of the open, anyone could walk by and see us."

Bewildered, Kakashi followed as the blond disappeared into the shadows. Once there, however, he saw no sign of the other boy, and looked around in confusion.

He stood there for a few seconds until the other boy suddenly appeared in front of him again, making him jump slightly in surprise. The blond frowned.

"Are you feeling alright, Kakashi?" He asked with concern.

Kakashi nodded guardedly, absently rubbing his still sore side. He still wasn't sure about this guy. What was a teacher doing here, anyway, if even his father wasn't?

The concern didn't fade from the other boy's face as he looked him over critically. Finally, the blond head nodded, "Stay close, okay?"

He moved off slower this time and Kakashi followed with only a little difficulty. It wasn't hard for him to keep up, but sometimes the blond would completely disappear and it would take the silver-haired boy a few seconds to find where he'd disappeared to and follow. The other boy was always looking at him when he did this, studying him with a thoughtful frown on his face and a pair of intent blue eyes that were calculating in a way that seemed out of place on the child's face.

The blond disappeared through the window of a small building near the cafeteria and Kakashi jumped to catch the windowsill—at least twice his height up on the building, he was surprised again with his own abilities—and followed him inside.

It was dark inside and Kakashi looked around warily, climbing down from the boxes he'd found were right inside.

"Here, put this in front of the window," he heard the other boy whisper, handing a box up to him. Kakashi took it mechanically and did as he was told, positioning it in front of the window. As he did so, a soft glow filled the room and he looked around in surprise to see the blond adjusting a small lamp.

Kakashi was relieved that they weren't going to talk in the dark, and he quickly climbed down to join the other boy.

"So, you're..." Kakashi trailed off as he saw the boy moving his fingers into a seal, "What are you doing?" He asked warily.

The boy grinned at him and said, "Kai!"

Kakashi stepped back, tensing, as smoke momentarily obscured the other boy. When it cleared, he was surprised to see a blond man standing in the boy's place, rubbing the back of his head and smiling sheepishly.

"Recognize me now?" The man asked.

It took a moment for Kakashi to think of something to say, but his mind supplied the name of the technique, "Henge no Jutsu..."

"Yeah..." the man confirmed, heaving a sigh, "I'd forgot what a pain it is to be so small. I don't know how you put up with it, Kakashi."

Kakashi opened his mouth to ask again who he was but closed it again quickly. He would probably just say he was his sensei, again, and if that was true, then asking would seem suspicious. He looked the man over and frowned.

"How come you're not wearing your forehead protector?" He asked suspiciously. If he was _really_ a Konoha shinobi, he should be wearing a forehead protector like the ones his daddy and mama wore all the time.

The man frowned again at this, "Are you sure you're feeling okay, Kakashi?"

Kakashi nodded, then said, by way of explanation, "You _could_ be my sensei, or you could be trying to trick me into _thinking_ you're my sensei. A real shinobi wears a forehead protector."

"Not while he's undercover," Minato retorted, "You should be more suspicious if I _was_ wearing my hitai-ate. After all, I'm sure the Iwa-nin have plenty of those, and if they were pretending to be me, they would probably use them." Then he grinned again, "Besides, no one could fake _these_ good looks!"

Kakashi couldn't believe this guy was really a ninja, he was just too weird... then again, Jiraiya was really weird, too, and his mama said that he was a really good ninja—one of the best. So maybe the weirder a ninja was the more powerful he was? But his daddy wasn't weird, he was cool, and he was really strong, too...

The boy shook those thoughts from his head and focused back on the man in front of him, frowning again with that vague look of concern. Kakashi shifted uncomfortably, wishing he was back in bed with Mochi and Tenn, where he knew what could be trusted and what couldn't.

"It's good to be cautious in situations like this, Kakashi," the man said slowly, "But, really, aren't you being a little too suspicious? You should be able to tell just from my chakra who I am, even if you think someone might be copying my attitude."

Kakashi frowned doubtfully, wondering how you could recognize someone by their chakra—it wasn't usually something people could see! Unless they had a special bloodline limit—he'd heard about those once. It's how the military police could track down criminal ninja.

The man sighed, "Very well, Kakashi. To prove to you I'm not trying to trick you... ask me a question that I should be able to answer only if I am who I say I am."

The boy thought about it for all of a second before asking, "Who's the strongest shinobi in the village?" The answer was easy, and if this guy was really his sensei, or even from Konoha, then surely he would know that.

The blond stared at him for a moment before asking, bewilderedly, "_That's_ your question, Kakashi?"

Kakashi nodded.

The blond raised an eyebrow, "Sarutobi-sama, of course," he stated, "The Sandaime Hokage. But everyone knows that, Kakashi."

Kakashi scowled—he hadn't even thought of _him_. "I mean the _other _one," the boy corrected.

Eyebrow rising slightly higher, the blond asked, "Orochimaru-sama?"

The silver-haired boy shot him an exasperated look, "No."

A second eyebrow joined the first, "Jiraiya-sama?"

Kakashi's scowl deepened and his, "No!" Was a little more irritable.

"Tsunade—" the blond started before pausing at the look on his student's face, already knowing it was 'wrong'. He frowned in concentration—what answer could his student _possibly_ be looking for?

It actually took the man a minute to think of the answer, and even then he wasn't sure it was the 'right' one. He glanced down at the scowling boy uncertainly and offered, "Do you mean the White Fang, Kakashi?"

The boy crossed his arms and nodded, still scowling.

The blond frowned at the boy again and started slowly, "You're acting very strange, Kakashi... Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"Are you here to get everyone out of here?" Kakashi returned in question, "That's our mission, isn't it? To get these kids back to their homes."

The man hesitated, then shook his head, "The mission was canceled, Kakashi," he replied, "Two days ago. We're going back to Konoha."

Kakashi's head sprang up, eyes wide, "But we can't just leave them here!"

"The Hokage," the man started, but Kakashi interrupted.

"It isn't _nice_ here! And they're all scared to be here, but they can't do anything about it because the guards are all Rock shinobi and they're just little kids who can't fight against real ninja!"

The man tried to interject again but Kakashi kept going, regardless.

"And it's important for us, too! Iwa-nin are our enemies, right? And I heard Takai-sama on a... a radio thing! He was saying something about testing them against Fire Nation! I don't really get it, but I think they're going to send the kids to fight against Konoha! Some of them, at least, in only a month!" Kakashi finished in a rush.

The blond sighed and raked a hand through the messy spikes of his hair, "Kakashi," he began tiredly, "The mission was canceled... we received orders from Hokage-sama himself to return home..."

"And we can," Kakashi agreed reasonably, "But can't we help them, too? Isn't that what shinobi do? They help people! They fight and obey the orders of the Hokage, but they do it to protect people."

The man blinked in surprise. He stared down at the boy's stubborn expression, one he'd seen many times before—although, when he'd seen it, it was usually mostly covered with a mask... maybe because of the pout that formed on the boy's lips as he glared.

After a long silence he asked in resignation, "What did you have in mind?"

This time Kakashi blinked, "Anô... me?"

Raising an eyebrow, the blond nodded.

"Anô... beat up the bad-guys and take everyone home?" The boy suggested uncertainly.

The man sighed, "That's it? There're a lot of Iwa-nin here, you know. And there's a fort less than four hours from here, so if we're not quick they could get a lot of backup very fast."

"Well... then we just wait until daddy gets here to do anything," Kakashi suggested awkwardly.

Both the man's eyebrows shot up. It had been a long time since he'd heard the boy call his father _that._

"_Know what, sensei? Know who _my_ daddy is?"_

"Kakashi... I don't think..." The man trailed off awkwardly as the little boy's face fell abruptly.

"Daddy... isn't coming... is he?" Kakashi questioned sadly.

The blond frowned, unable to understand the change that had overcome the boy, "Kakashi... are you _sure_ you're feeling alright? You're acting very strange."

"I'm just," Kakashi hesitated. On the one hand, the man didn't seem like a spy... He didn't act like Kakashi thought a spy would probably act... then again, all he knew about spies came from stories his parents had told him, and he was pretty sure some of them were made up. On the other hand, what would happen if he _did_ tell him? Kakashi wasn't stupid, he knew how adults acted when kids got hurt.

Just a few weeks ago—somewhere in his mind he acknowledged it had been a lot longer than that—he had been with his mother in town. Someone ran into one of the vender stalls and a glass vase had shattered right next to him. One of the pieces had cut his arm and his mama had hurried him into the hospital, even though he insisted it didn't hurt and he wanted to finish shopping, instead. (Mostly because she had promised to take him to buy some shuriken after they finished.)

"Tired," Kakashi finished, fidgeting a little. It was _one_ thing lying to the enemy, he thought even his parents would understand that. But lying to an ally? He hoped he wouldn't get in much trouble.

The man sighed again, thinking fast. When he spoke his voice was professional and his eyes were hard and serious, "Alright, here's what we're going to do. We'll lie low for a few days. Try to locate all of their means of communication. Like that radio you mentioned, the train station, any messenger birds or vehicles they have... If we can keep them from using those to contact help, I think we can take them, especially if we're able to get some of the older kids to help out."

He formed a series of hand seals and was once more under henge—but this time the blond boy looked older and was at least a foot taller than Kakashi.

"I'll work on recruiting some help, you find their communications network." He paused, frowning at the smaller boy, "Do you think you can handle that, Kakashi?" He didn't believe for an instant that there was nothing wrong with his student.

The boy nodded, a frown of determination on his face. "I already know where the radio-thing and the train are... I'll look around more tomorrow when we have free time. Most of the kids are too tired to do much then, so we aren't watched very closely."

The blond nodded and motioned Kakashi towards the window. It took the boy a few seconds to realize what he wanted and climb up there. He began moving the box as the light turned off, then climbed out. A second later the blond landed beside him.

"I assume you know the way back to your cabin," the blond started.

Kakashi nodded, pointing in the general direction he needed to go.

The older boy nodded again, "Alright, meet me here again tomorrow night."

And then he was gone. Kakashi looked around in surprise before shaking it off—it wasn't as though he hadn't seen that kind of thing before, but the shinobi he usually saw do it were older and they usually disappeared into the trees, not nowhere. Pushing it out of his mind, the boy concentrated on getting back to his cabin without being caught.


	6. The Confession

The Greatest Adventures of Hatake Kakashi!

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I sometimes wish I did, but then I realize what a pain it would be to be forced to work on the same story for years with my attention span.

Thanks for the reviews!Just to make it clear, there's only one more chapter left! Everything shall be made clear soon! (But first, things have to get a little worse...) Enjoy!

Chapter 6 

The Confession of Hatake Kakashi!

"Where were you?" Kira asked from his position sprawled on the ground as Kakashi rejoined the group.

"Anô... I was looking around..." Kakashi replied vaguely, sitting down next to Mochi, who was, as usual, keeping a watch on Tenn for him.

"When's your daddy gonna get here?" The younger boy asked, looking up as he sat down.

Kakashi's mood plummeted at the reminder of the blond man's words. "I... I don't know..." He said reluctantly.

"I wish my daddy was coming," Mochi bemoaned wistfully, fiddling with the stuffed dog.

Kakashi didn't reply, looking at the ground. He wanted _his_ daddy to come, too. If _he_ came, then everything would be alright... But... if the blond was to be believed, then he probably _wasn't_ coming... Something inside of him ached at the thought and he suddenly found himself fighting back tears. Did that mean that his daddy really did hate him?

"Alright, you lazy brats, break time's over," a guard announced loudly, approaching them, "Time to get back to work!"

There were groans of complaint and grumbles of discontent, but all the children reluctantly complied, Mochi dragging Tenn after him, trusting Kakashi to follow. Kakashi did so and they had just begun warm-ups when another guard approached the group, interrupting.

"You there!" He snapped, stalking across to Kakashi under the somewhat bemused gazes of the other guards. "Takai-sama says you're supposed to be with the third-year group."

"Anô... me?" Kakashi asked, looking around as though he expected them to be talking to someone else.

"Yes, you," the man retorted, aiming a kick at the boy. Kakashi rolled out of the way and to his feet, causing the man to growl in annoyance, "Now, come on!"

"Kakashi-nii..." Mochi whimpered, looking up at him in confusion.

Kakashi forced a smile for the boy, "We'll see each other at lunch, right?"

The smaller boy nodded miserably as the older boy followed the guard.

* * *

Kakashi stared at the dark ceiling of the room. The third year curriculum was a lot more interesting than the first year seemed to be. There hadn't been as much free time with the resting cycles filled with things like basic strategy lessons and mechanics lectures. Mixed in with the normal empty-handed martial arts, the children had practiced with a wide variety of weapons—including kunai, bo, bows and arrows, and shinai, among others. 

He wanted to sleep. The steady breathing of his companions and the warmth of the small body curled up beside him were extremely inviting. The quiet was a welcomed change from the day's activity and, while he wasn't exhausted like many of the others, he wasn't brimming with restless energy, either. It would have been very easy to just close his eyes and drift away.

But he had a meeting to attend, which required him to leave the warmth and comfort of his small bed. After one more reluctant minute in which Kakashi sincerely wished he could just stay put, the boy got out of the bed and quietly padded to the door. He stopped to listen and slipped outside when he didn't hear anything.

* * *

Mochi's dreams were violent. He was running and there were people all around him; Kira, Amane, and others he vaguely knew. They were fighting men like Takai, and there was blood and there were screams. Then, in front of him, an explosion tore apart the ground, it was big and fiery and hot and he was thrown off his feet by the shock wave. He opened his eyes, blinking to see a man approaching him and he shrank back as he made out the face of Zemin because he didn't want to be thrown in a cell and he didn't want to be taken away again. 

In his bed, the small boy's features scrunched up, turning his whole face into a frown, and he burrowed closer to his companion's body—or where his companion's body should have been. In an instant brown eyes open and looking around wildly because the bed was rumpled and his friend was gone.

He almost cried, because where would the older boy have gone when it was so late out? He had probably been taken away, the little boy thought. But he forced it back because he had to be brave for his Kakashi-niisan.

Carefully gathering the puppy in his arms, Mochi slid out of bed and ventured into the dark room.

"… Niisan…?" He whispered cautiously, hugging the puppy tightly as he tried to see through the shadows.

Eyes wide, the small boy made his way through the dark to the door. Cautiously, he cracked it open to peer out at the equally dark night.

"Oniisan?" He called again, voice timid in the quiet night.

He looked around nervously as he stepped out into the cool night air. Big eyes darted constantly around his surroundings as he wandered. He shivered in fright, hugging the puppy tightly as he wandered through empty, frightening roads paved only in darkness.

The boy jumped and turned at a soft scraping sound. His eyes scanned for movement as he stood frozen with fear and his ears caught another soft noise as something light landed on the ground. Squinting into the darkness, Mochi's heart leapt at the sight of something white in the dark and relief flooded into him.

"Niisan!" He cried jubilantly, running towards the older boy.

Kakashi froze at the voice and watched the little boy with wide eyes. Mochi was blubbering energetically about nightmares and someone being gone, Kakashi didn't pay it much attention. He was quick to hush the smaller boy and he pulled him deeper into the shadows as his sensitive ears picked up sounds from farther away.

The two stood silently, Mochi safe within the older boy's arms and Kakashi feeling as though every breath would give them away.

There were footsteps closer and someone called out, "Do you see anything?"

Lights were shone around, bouncing off windows and metal and coming very close to the shadow where the two boys hid.

"Nothing," was the response and Kakashi barely held in a sigh of relief as the light moved away again.

The footsteps retreated once more and the fading voices conversed lightly.

"… It was probably his imagination… He's too jumpy."

"Yeah, those kids won't be awake for hours. They're always exhausted by the time they're released for the night."

Kakashi relaxed his hold on Mochi as the voices faded away. He slowly removed his hand from the younger boy's mouth. "Be quiet this time," he whispered, and Mochi nodded.

"Friend of yours, Kashi-kun?" An amused voice asked and both boys turned in surprise to see the blond had dropped soundlessly from the window above.

Kakashi looked at the younger boy and then the older one before awkwardly introducing, "This is Mochi. He... came here with me."

"Oniisan..." Mochi started, moving closer to the white-haired boy and taking in the other boy's appearance, "Is that... the flower-man you told us about...?"

"The... flower-man...?" Kakashi repeated in wonder.

The little boy nodded, "Remember? You said he had spiky yellow hair like a flower!"

The older boy held one of his yellow spikes in front of his eyes to look at it, "I don't look like a flower," he complained.

Kakashi ignored him, "You're probably thinking of someone else, Mochi," he stated, sure that he hadn't said anything like that since he met the boy on the wagon.

"No, no!" Mochi exclaimed—the two older boys winced when he spoke above a whisper, "You said... you said to run 'till we found the flower-man, remember? Then you blew up the fence so we could get away!"

Kakashi looked between the older boy and the younger boy again, "That sounds like it was probably a dream, Mochi."

The younger boy huffed in irritation, "It wasn't a dream!"

The older boys winced again.

"Mochi-kun, please try to be quiet," the older blond advised, "We aren't supposed to be out here so you have to be quiet or someone will find us."

Mochi continued to pout, but he spoke quieter, "So if he's not the flower-man, who is he?" He asked of Kakashi.

"He's..." Kakashi hesitated, "Just a friend."

"Someone you met in the bigger class?" Mochi asked curiously.

Kakashi nodded.

"You must be tired, Mochi-kun," the older blond commented, "We should go back to our rooms now." He sent Kakashi a meaningful look.

Kakashi frowned but nodded again and steered Mochi forward, "Let's go back now, Mochi. Remember to be quiet," he whispered.

The younger boy frowned and looked around at the older blond, "But what about him?" He wondered.

"He'll go back to his own cabin," Kakashi stated, coaxing the younger boy forward again.

Mochi glanced back at the other boy only to see him suddenly disappear. "Niisan!" He exclaimed in surprise.

The white-haired boy cringed, "Sh! Quiet, Mochi!" He hissed.

"But! The guy...! The guy...!"

"Quiet!" Kakashi repeated, covering the smaller boy's mouth again. He paused, listening, and would have sworn if he knew the words.

"This way!" Someone in the distance shouted, "I'm sure I heard something just now!"

Kakashi quickly led Mochi away from the voices, treading lightly until he realized the other boy's loud footfalls would give them away, anyway. Then they ran.

"Over there!"

"Get all guards to Sector 6!"

The two boys ran around another corner only to find a group of guards running towards them already. Kakashi let go of Mochi and pushed him behind him. "Run the other way," he ordered quietly.

Wide-eyed, Mochi obeyed without hesitation.

"Heh. Should've known it'd be you," one of the men said, "You're that brat that caused all that trouble a while ago."

"Seems like he's back at it," another man commented, smirking, "Didn't learn his lesson the first time."

"Oniisan!" Mochi shouted as he ran back to the older boy's side, "There's more of them back there!" He reported with wide eyes and gasping breaths.

Kakashi sighed in irritation and a glance over his shoulder showed they were being surrounded.

"Wandering around after dark," the voice brought Kakashi's attention back in front of him where Takai had just stepped through the line of guards, "Very suspicious, Kakashi."

"Mochi had a nightmare," Kakashi said, quickly thinking for an excuse, "... We were just taking a walk to help him calm down... You never said we couldn't."

The man smirked, "Somehow, Kakashi... I get the impression that you're lying to me... like you lied the day you were snooping in my office."

Kakashi gaped at the man. If he had known he was lying, then why did he let him go?

"Take them in for questioning," the man ordered, turning back to his guards.

Kakashi watched them approach—eight in total. Even if he didn't have Mochi to think of he couldn't have taken out all of them at once. Grudgingly, he waited peacefully until one of the men grabbed him roughly, another pulling Mochi away from him.

"Oniisan!" The little boy cried in fear.

"Quiet, Mochi," Kakashi ordered, "Just do as they say and you won't be hurt." He glanced at Takai and added, "Right, Takai-sama?"

"Of course," the man agreed with a benevolent smile, "And if you tell us what we want to know, Kakashi, then there will be no reason to interrogate your little friend."

* * *

"Hatake Kakashi," Kakashi answered the man's question reluctantly. 

Takai's sharp eyes narrowed. The name struck a chord inside of him, even though he was sure he'd never heard of somebody called Kakashi before. "Where are you from?" He demanded.

Kakashi hesitated, glancing around the room. There were two guards at the door and Takai himself, carrying out the interrogation. Even if he overpowered the three men, he'd be trapped by the door, which was locked from the outside. He wasn't tied up, but the small freedom was hardly helpful.

Kakashi was absorbed enough in his musing that he didn't notice the fist until it had almost hit him, and by then it was too late to do anything about. The boy doubled over, coughing and gasping from the bruising blow to his abdomen.

"Play time is over," Takai stated coldly, "I don't have time to deal with your games right now—not with only two weeks until the first group is sent out. If you won't answer my questions, I'll have to ask your friend."

Kakashi used the time he needed to recover his breath to think. It wasn't a good idea to say where he was from, not with Earth Nation at war with Fire Nation. But he didn't want Mochi to be hurt, either.

_If I tell him... he might hurt me... but at least Mochi will be safe..._

Before the man was irritated enough to take another swing at him, Kakashi screwed up his resolve and answered in a small voice, "I'm... from Hi no Kuni..."

"Fire Nation...!" Takai repeated in surprise, "Where? What city?"

Kakashi really wished his daddy was there. The White Fang could handle any number of Rock-nin. He took a breath to calm himself before reluctantly answering, "From... Konoha..."

"The Shinobi village!" Takai exclaimed, then added thoughtfully, "Well, that explains why you're so skilled. What were you doing in Grass Country? Are you a Genin? A spy?"

The boy stared at the man with wide eyes—Takai was really starting to get worked up now. And Kakashi knew his answer would not be well liked. Unfortunately, wishing he was somewhere else didn't produce results.

"I... I don't know," he said hesitantly, wary of the man's reaction.

Confusion flitted across Takai's face before anger took it's place, "What do you mean you don't know?!" He demanded, picking the youth up roughly by the front of his shirt, "How can you not know?!"

"I don't know!" Kakashi repeated desperately, fighting back tears because Shinobi didn't cry. "I don't remember!"

The man hesitated, seeming to stare through the boy, and slowly he got his anger under control again. "You don't remember?" He repeated as a question.

Kakashi shook his head quickly, "I really don't!"

Slowly, Takai nodded, and set Kakashi back on his chair, "Very well," he said coolly. "We will see what Mochi-chan knows," he decided, already turning to the door.

"No!" Kakashi exclaimed, jumping out of his chair, "I told you the truth!"

"I know," Takai confirmed calmly, still not turning back, "But it isn't good enough in this case." He paused to smirk over the shoulder, "Don't worry. As long as he tells the truth he won't be hurt."

The guards stepped aside and someone on the outside opened the door for Takai. The guards closed ranks again behind him as the door was once more shut and locked. Kakashi glared after the man for a moment before reluctantly taking his seat again under the eyes of his guards.

* * *

Blue eyes watched from the rooftop as Takai stepped out of one building only to gain admittance to another beside it. There was a single guard posted outside either door but Minato was confident he could take them out with no one being the wiser. 

He waited for the count of ten seconds after Takai disappeared to make his move. A quick hand seal and he was behind the guard standing in front of the building Takai had entered. He slit the man's throat with a kunai before he could even cry out and immediately did the seal again to appear behind the second guard.

The man looked over at the thump as the first guard's body hit the ground. "Wha—" he didn't get any further as the blond boy slit his throat with deadly precision.

Minato directed the body as it fell to both quiet the impact and move it so it wasn't blocking the door. He paused, readying himself for the unknown, taking out a second kunai.

The door was unlocked and he burst in, attacking immediately before the trio of guards within could raise the alarm.

* * *

The two guards at the door shifted uncomfortably when there was a shout from outside, seemingly uncertain as to whether they should investigate it or continue watching their charge. Kakashi watched anxiously as they turned their attention towards the door, pulling out weapons in preparation for whatever might come through. 

"Is everything okay out there?" One of the men called out warily.

As though his words had been a signal, the door burst open, splintered from the powerful kick delivered to it. Kakashi watched in awe and horror as the blond boy stabbed one guard in the kidney even as he threw a second kunai at the other. The second kunai connected very near, if not in, the man's heart.

In the next instant the taller boy was finishing off the first guard by breaking his neck with a quick kick. He turned back to the second, but the guard appeared to already be dead, if the gratuitous amount of blood pooling around him was any indication.

Then he turned to Kakashi. Kakashi, already on his feet, took a shaking step away from the blood-splattered blond. It was the same frightening intensity he had seen in his father when the White Fang had killed the Shinobi that dared to kidnap him.

"Kakashi, are you unhurt?" The boy asked seriously, not even breathing heavy.

Not able to speak and trying not to look at the dead bodies on the floor, Kakashi nodded.

"Are you sure?" The taller boy pressed with a frown, "You look pale."

Kakashi wanted to tell him that of course he was pale—he had just seen two men brutally murdered in front of him! He still couldn't seem to find his voice, though, so he simply nodded again.

"Good," the blond said, "We need to get out of here. There's no way we can pull off the plan now."

Kakashi started to follow when it occurred to him what the older boy was implying, "But we can't leave without the others!" He blurted out.

The older boy stopped and looked back at him with a frown.

Kakashi wavered under the hard blue eyes before he gathered enough courage to continue, "What about Mochi? Takai might hurt him if I just leave!"

"And you'll be killed if you stay," the blond pointed out coolly, "You told him who you are, yes?"

Kakashi, stricken, just nodded.

"We're leaving," the blond said firmly, "I'll tell the Hokage the location of this place and what it's being used for. There's nothing else we can do."

* * *

Mochi shifted nervously on his chair as Takai frowned in thought, "What kind of a Shinobi graduates _and_ is promoted at such a young age...?" He wondered out loud. 

"A genius," one of the guards at the door answered without thought. When Takai shot him a look he paled slightly and was quick to add, "Sir."

"A genius..." Takai repeated thoughtfully, "Or a demon, yes? Hiro, where have you heard the name Hatake before?"

"Hatake...!" The guard trailed off, a surprised expression on his face.

"You mean... Hatake Sakumo...?" The second guard added, also looking surprised.

"Yes, I didn't realize it before... That boy, is it possible?" Takai wondered, "Does the White Fang, demon of Konoha, have a child...?"

* * *

Kakashi felt sick at the sight of the three dead men in the next room, their bodies strewn haphazardly around the room, one of them slumped over a small table in the corner. But the blond boy didn't hesitate and Kakashi reluctantly followed behind him, trying to keep his mind off of the disturbing scene. 

Minato led the way to the door and pushed it open only to pull it closed again immediately. Kakashi almost ran into him when he took a step backwards to shut the door. The blond cursed under his breath and glanced back at Kakashi.

"They've already got men outside," the blond explained, "We're going to have to fight our way out... can you do that?"

Kakashi didn't answer, not even looking at the taller boy, his attention instead stolen by the body nearest the door, blood leaking out of the man's mouth—in much the same way, his mind supplied, as blood had dribbled out of his mother's lips.

"Kakashi!" Minato snapped. When the boy still didn't respond, he reached out and grabbed Kakashi's chin, turning his head to look at him and frowning.

"What is wrong with you?" The older boy blurted out in irritation, "Ever since I got here you've been acting strange! Kakashi, tell me what's going on with you!"

Kakashi stared at the angry boy with wide eyes, more than a little afraid after he'd seen him kill two men in a matter of seconds.

Minato's eyes widened as well when, suddenly, the six-year-old started to cry. Abruptly, he released Kakashi's face and took a step backwards. In the year that he'd known the young Shinobi, he'd never _once_ seen him cry! This definitely wasn't in his job description!

Kakashi was a little embarrassed, but couldn't bring himself to care. Here he was, as far away from his home as he could possibly get, his mama was dead and his daddy wasn't coming to save him, and his only ally was a murderous boy who was angry with him and now he was going to die! Everything piled on top of each other was just too overwhelming and he couldn't stop crying now that he'd started.

Minato just watched his student for a long, awkward moment before he was able to push aside the surprise that had momentarily overtaken him. He took a deep breath to collect himself and then dived in, awkwardly patting the boy's back.

"Shh..." And what was it parents always said during times like this? "There, there... Just calm down, Kashi, it'll be okay... We'll get back home and... and everything will be like it's supposed to be, okay? Look, if you and me can't get out of this mess, then no one could, right?"

With effort, Kakashi managed to calm down after another minute or two, and he clutched the shirt of the older boy, who was his only source of comfort. "I don't remember!" He moaned, sniffing, "I can't remember!"

Minato blinked in confusion, still awkwardly rubbing a hand up and down his student's back in a manner he thought was supposed to be comforting. "What can't you remember?" He wondered.

"Anything!" The boy cried miserably, "Anything since... since that day!" He took a shaky breath, trying to get the sobs that were welling inside of him again under control. "I want daddy," he whispered brokenly.

Minato searched his mind for what 'that day' might be but found he wasn't sure. Since the day his father had come back like _that_, maybe? But that wasn't so long ago, so maybe it was some other day.

"Kakashi," he started softly, carefully, "Since what day?"

Kakashi simply started to cry again and the blond cringed. Obviously, whatever day it was, it wasn't a _good_ day.

"Shh," he repeated, growing more anxious about the group of men surrounding them. "We'll get back to Konoha soon and you can see your dad again then, okay, Kakashi? You need to be strong for a little while longer, can you do that?"

Sniffing again, the white-haired boy finally pulled away, wiping at his eyes. He nodded, a miserable pout on his lips.

"Good," Minato said, feeling a little more collected now that he didn't have a small boy crying all over him. He held out a kunai, "Do you think you can use this?"

The boy hesitated, his eyes starting to slide towards the bodies before he forcefully stopped them and brought them back to the blond. Sniffing again, he nodded and accepted the weapon uneasily. It felt oddly comfortable in his fist.

"Alright," Minato turned back to the door, "Stay close to me," he advised, "If I need to, I'll protect us both."

Kakashi nodded again, rubbing once more at his eyes to get rid of the stray tears. Minato paused to release his Henge—for this fight, he had a feeling he would be needing as much energy as he had. Then he pushed the door open and moved immediately to meet the first of the opposition.

There were at least three dozen men and women outside already. Takai wasn't among them. Kakashi followed on the blond man's heels.

He received a rush of adrenaline when a man attacked him from the other side of Minato's guard. He ducked under a punch and let his body take over with whatever felt natural. He dug a knee into the man's gut and hit him at the base of his scull when he doubled over, landing the man flat on the ground.

After that, things went a little easier. Kakashi stayed close to Minato, fighting off whoever managed to get through the blond man's impressive guard. But more enemies arrived with Takai a short time later, and the man reported loudly that backup was on the way.

Kakashi glanced warily up at the blond man, but Minato was focused single-mindedly on destroying as many of the opposition as he could—which was quite a lot.


	7. Proud Shinobi of Konoha!

The Greatest Adventures of Hatake Kakashi!

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: Nothing has changed from the previous 6 chapters. I still don't own Naruto. And I'm beginning to doubt that I ever will.

As usual, I want to thank you all for your reviews! It's encouraging to see that some people enjoy my story enough to tell me as much.

Anyway, this is the last chapter. It really is! The end! There is no more! Well... that's _almost_ true. Actually, as I was editing this and stuff, I got to wishing I had been able to include a few more scenes here and there. I didn't include them because they didn't really work well in the flow of the story, in my opinion. But, if you guys want, I'm thinking of adding an "Extras" chapter to the end, which will include these "Lost Scenes."

**Sakujo: Kaifuku** - Mind: Restore

Chapter 7

Hatake Kakashi: The Proud Shinobi of Konoha!

Two men tore through a force of more than two hundred like it was child's play. They were like whirlwinds of daggers and raging demons out for blood. The ninja didn't have a chance and those smart enough to run were stabbed through the back before they got far.

* * *

Minato and Kakashi faced the group, panting. They were still forty strong, despite the large number Minato was able to take out. Normally, such a small group wouldn't have been too much trouble for Konoha's Yellow Flash, but he hadn't been able to fight freely with Kakashi to protect. It was more tiring to drag things out slowly than to end them quickly.

"Give up," Takai's voice boomed out from the mass as the self-assured man stepped forward, "You can't win. Give yourselves to me now and I'll let you live."

"Only so that you can collect the rewards on our heads!" Minato snarled back angrily.

The Rock-nin chuckled, "Of course. The Yellow Flash has quite a price on his head. And I'm sure we can get a good payment for the disposal of the White Fang's son."

"You'll have to excuse me if I don't want to contribute to your cause," Minato bit back, hands tightening on his kunai.

"Very well, I'll take you in the hard way," Takai allowed, eyes narrowing as his hands gripped his own weapon, "Dead."

He moved forward in a blur and Minato, still short on breath, quickly raised his kunai to block the attack. But it never came.

The thump of a body hitting the ground pulled Minato's attention to a location halfway between him and where Takai had attacked from. The man was face down on the ground, several metal spikes were all that could be seen of the shuriken buried deep in his flesh.

Kakashi unconsciously took a step closer to Minato as the man immediately looked for the source of the attack.

"Seventy to two..." A voice boomed out and Minato's eyes immediately flickered over to the man striking a dramatic pose on the top of a nearby roof, "Now, is that fair?"

"Jiraiya-sensei...!" Minato breathed in surprise.

At his side, Kakashi's eyes widened and a slow smile spread across his face. It turned into a wide grin when he saw a second figure appear at the Sannin's side.

"... Daddy!" He exclaimed with relief—enough that Minato felt the need to put a hand on the boy's shoulder to keep him from attempting to recklessly run through the enemy to reach his father.

There was silence for a moment as the enemy registered the appearance of the unexpected shinobi, and then the two legendary nin jumped from the roof and into the fray.

* * *

The four Shinobi sat on the ground in a circle. Kakashi was leaning against his father's right side and around to the boy's right sat Minato. Jiraiya sat at Minato's right and Sakumo's left, trying to hide the concerned looks he shot the man occasionally. Sakumo sat with one arm around his son and a look of intense concentration on his masked face.

"So, they were creating soldiers to use against Fire Nation," Jiraiya summarized. He nodded, "It makes sense that Grass had some kind of deal with Earth or they would have been brought into this war years ago. Since they already had a treaty with us, they wouldn't be able to make one with Earth without offering something of value."

Minato nodded, "Those were my thoughts, as well. Kusagakure gave itself away by refusing assistance to the villages that lost children. The Kusakage must have known of the deal."

Jiraiya nodded, "It would be easiest to prove if we could locate the group that actually kidnapped the children, but you don't know who that was."

Minato shook his head, "Kakashi might know something, but..."

The Toad Sannin shifted his attention to the vulnerable looking boy in his friend's arms. "Yeah. He doesn't remember much of his time there."

"He doesn't remember much, period," Minato added, "Not for almost two years at least, since he's known me."

"Kakashi," Jiraiya started, gaining the boy's attention, "What's the last thing you remember? Do you remember joining the Academy?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Almost three years, then," Jiraiya corrected. He paused in thought, then asked, "Do you remember... what happened to your mother, Kakashi?"

The expressions on both Hatake's faces immediately grew dark, almost identically. Kakashi nodded, pressing deeper into his father's protective arm.

"And after?" The Sannin pressed, "What do you remember after that event?"

"... I remember waking up in that place," Kakashi answered softly, "I thought... at first... that it was a jail... and I was in trouble for…" he broke off, burying his face in his father's side.

Minato was surprised to see the look of anger on Jiraiya's face in response to Kakashi's comment. He looked back at the father-son pair to see that Sakumo sported a similarly hateful expression, although it was more difficult to make out with the lower half of his face covered. His arm had also tightened possessively around Kakashi's shoulders.

"What... happened with Kakashi's mother?" Minato asked Jiraiya warily, not remembering ever having heard of her from his student.

The Sannin shook his head and simply said, "Later."

"Kakashi," it was the first time Sakumo had spoken and his voice was rough and a little strained, "Would you recognize the place you were being held at?"

Kakashi hesitated a moment, then reluctantly shook his head. "It was dark when I remember seeing it."

"Would you recognize the path you traveled to get to the station?" Jiraiya asked, frowning.

Kakashi shook his head again.

"The wagons were closed boxes," Minato supplied, "I know a little of the route, but only towards the end, not enough to locate where it came from."

"There was nothing in the records," Jiraiya said, "They don't mention anything about Kusa no Kuni or where the children came from at all."

There was silence around the circle for a long moment. Then Kakashi broke it, "Mochi told me... that we almost escaped... maybe the others would remember something."

"Mochi?" Jiraiya repeated.

"A young boy who has become quite attached to Kakashi," Minato supplied.

Jiraiya nodded and stood, "Let's find these other children, then."

* * *

"Zemin-sama! Shinobi have attacked the front gate!" A harried guard reported with alarm.

"Shinobi?" The other man repeated with surprise, "What is the Kusakage thinking?!"

The younger man shook his head, "They aren't Kusa-nin... I think they're from Konoha!"

Zemin's eyes widened and his face paled. "Kakashi...!" He turned angrily to his subordinate, "What are you standing there for? Get all our forces to meet them! If Fire Nation finds out about this..."

The younger man needed no further encouragement and with a sharp, "Hai!" he ran off to fulfill his orders.

Zemin activated the radio on the wall, "Renshu!" He snapped, waiting what felt like a long moment for the other man to respond. "We're under attack. Leaf-nin. I want all records of our business destroyed!"

"Hai, Zemin-sama!" Renshu confirmed immediately.

Zemin spun at a loud banging on his door. It repeated once before the barrier broke in, revealing a powerful looking man with long white hair and a Konoha hitai-ate. Zemin stepped backwards in surprise, automatically reaching to draw his sword.

"How...?" He wondered in amazement. While there weren't a large number of men stationed there, they were all competent shinobi. For the Leaf-nin to have defeated them all already was remarkable.

"Who's the boss around here?" The Leaf-nin demanded in an angry growl.

Zemin gathered his wits and tried to sound casual, "Of course, sir, I'll take you to him right away." As he spoke he channeled his chakra and formed the final seal in a string of them to activate his Jutsu.

Jiraiya started in surprise when the man disappeared suddenly, and was further surprised by a grunt of pain at his side. Turning to look, he saw the man there, slumping to the ground, unconscious. Jiraiya's eyes rose to meet Minato's.

"Some kind of 'body flicker' technique?" He questioned, referring to the Yellow Flash's signature Jutsu.

"No," Minato replied, "He was moving at normal speed as far as I could tell."

Jiraiya scowled, "Normal people don't usually move so fast that they disappear, brat!"

The blond smirked, "No, they don't," he agreed amiably, "But it still wasn't the 'body flicker', sensei, he wasn't moving very fast at all."

Jiraiya grumbled about irritating brats and pushed past him into the hallway, "Pick him up and let's move to the next room," he ordered over his shoulder.

* * *

The four Shinobi walked through the gathered prisoners. Most of them were still unconscious, and all of them were tied securely.

"Do you see anyone you recognize, Kakashi?" Minato prompted, glancing down at the boy.

Kakashi started to shake his head, then paused, staring at one man for a moment longer. Slowly, he nodded and pointed at the man, who was still unconscious. "Him... I saw him when I first woke up, and again before we left."

Jiraiya walked up to the prone man and dispassionately kicked his side, eliciting a groan. "Hey you!" He snapped, "Wake up!"

The man stirred slowly and Jiraiya prodded him with his foot again before he opened his eyes. The man's eyes landed on Kakashi and lingered there a moment before rising to find Jiraiya and the other men standing over him.

"Your friends did a good job of getting rid of the paperwork," Jiraiya commented, "But that doesn't help much when you've got a bunch of kids locked in the basement." He paused, looking at the man sharply, "Kakashi led us down there. You remember him, don't you."

"... I don't know what you're talking about," the man retorted coolly.

"Funny," Jiraiya said, "Because those other guys seem to think that you're the one in charge here. Zemin, am I right?"

The man glared back defiantly, "So what if I am? That doesn't mean I see every person who passes through. And I certainly don't remember them all!"

"Oh, I'm sure you remember this one," Jiraiya said lightly. Then his expression hardened again, "Grass Country has already broken their part of the treaty with Fire. The kids downstairs and the ones we found in Earth Nation are proof enough of that. When we report this to the Hokage, it will undoubtedly mean war between our nations..." He smiled again, although it didn't appear particularly friendly.

"Now, I know you don't want that," Jiraiya said, "And I certainly don't as it'll mean more work for me." He leaned in towards Sakumo and added in an undertone meant only for him, "And less time for my research!" Much to his disappointment, his friend didn't respond.

Grumpily, the Toad Master turned back to the prisoner, "So... maybe if you undo whatever you did to Kakashi, I'll put in a good word for you with the big guy, hmm?"

Zemin hesitated, looking between the three angry men reluctantly. Slowly, he nodded. "We used a mind technique on him to make him more compliant..." He hesitated before continuing, "It can be undone... But to perform the technique I will need my hands free."

Jiraiya grunted in acknowledgement and motioned to Minato to cut the ropes. As the younger man moved to do so, he spoke again, "Don't think you're going to be able to go back on your word now that you're untied. You're dealing with three of the strongest Shinobi of Konoha."

The Sannin smirked wickedly, "Just in case you don't recognized us, my companions are the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, and the White Fang, Hatake Sakumo. And I'm the mightiest of the Sannin, Jiraiya-sama!"

Zemin looked suitably impressed and concerned for his own well-being. He glanced at Kakashi wonderingly. _This kid is so important that three such powerful Shinobi came after him...?_

He rubbed his wrists to relax the muscles, tense from where he'd been tied, then moved to make the first seal. Before he'd even finished, he was suddenly overwhelmed by a powerful wave of hatred and killing intent. Looking up wide-eyed, Zemin saw the White Fang glaring at him, chakra visible as volatile white flames curling violently around him.

"If you hurt him," the man warned sternly, voice low and dangerous, "I will make you wishyou were dead."

Zemin swallowed nervously and nodded. The killing intent subsided a bit, but didn't completely disappear. Just enough could be felt to add menace to the man's warning.

He went through the seals quickly, trying to block out the formidable man's hatred, and concentrated on completing the Jutsu.

"**Sakujo****: Kaifuku**"

* * *

The Sandaime nodded at the two Shinobi standing in front of him.

"Very good," he said, "You did better than expected. The village received a handsome sum from Kusanagai, as well as the other Grass villages that had their children returned."

"What about the operation in Grass Country?" Minato wondered.

"The Grass lord is insisting he didn't know anything about the deal," the Hokage replied, "He has assured the people that this will not happen again and he has people looking into the situation in Kusagakure."

"Surely you don't believe that!" Minato exclaimed, "For the Grass lord not to have seen what was going on right in his own lands...!"

The old man smiled mildly, "Whether or not we believe is not important, Minato. That is what the Grass lord is claiming and we must accept it."

"What about the situation with the treaty?" Minato asked.

"Grass has clearly made a severe breach of conduct," the Hokage replied sternly, "But we have a representative there now, hashing out the details for a new alliance."

Minato winced, no Shinobi enjoyed politics, "Who did you find to volunteer for _that_ job?" He wondered.

The Sandaime smiled, "Your old teacher, actually."

"Jiraiya-sensei!" Minato said in surprise, "Now I'm beginning to feel sorry for the Grass!"

"Indeed," the Hokage agreed with some amusement—Jiraiya had been near a frenzy when he left, less than an hour after their return. He sobered and let his eyes drift to the second of the pair, and the reason for his old student's anger, "Kakashi... your performance on this mission was exemplary. It was a difficult task, and I'm sorry things went so awry. How are you feeling now?"

Kakashi fidgeted uncharacteristically and glanced at his teacher before answering. "I'm still a little confused, Hokage-sama..." he admitted, "Tsunade-hime expects it will pass in a few days."

The Hokage nodded, "Very well. You will have today and tomorrow off to rest. After that time, you will be given D-Ranked missions for another week or so, until you feel back to normal."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Kakashi acknowledged formally.

The old man watched the somber boy for a moment longer before slowly cracking a smile. "Don't look so serious all the time, Kakashi-kun! Use your time off to have some fun!"

Kakashi looked taken aback at the Hokage's comment, causing the other Shinobi in the room to chuckle. The Sandaime dismissed them and watched with some fondness as Kakashi preceded his sensei out the door.

"He is truly a proud Shinobi of Konoha," the old man stated amiably.

The Chuunin aiding him nodded in agreement.

Kakashi, catching the Hokage's words before the door closed behind him and his teacher, allowed himself a small smile.


	8. Lost Scenes

The Greatest Adventures of Hatake Kakashi!

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: My lawyers gave me a stern talking to on Friday and said that there's no debate whether or not I own Naruto. I don't.

Thanks for everyone's continued support of this project! It's expecially exciting to hear from people who are still reading and liking it a long time after it was published.

Tantō – a short Japanese sword between 6 and 12 inches in length used for stabbing and slashing. Ninja myths favor this weapon for assassinations.

Extras

Hatake Kakashi and the Lost Scenes!

-Pre Chapter 7, post Chapter 6: Konoha-

"Oi!" The white haired man called down the hall before making his way through the house, "Sakumo! Sakumo!!"

The man slid open the door to his friend's study, glancing around and finding the man sitting up against the wall, looking unusually vulnerable with his knees drawn up and his arms folded across them. The man hesitated just a moment before barging noisily into the room.

"Oi, Sakumo! I've been looking all over for you!" Jiraiya announced boisterously. The other man's head didn't even raise to look at him.

Jiraiya quieted down a little and crossed to his friend's side, staring down at him with a disgruntled frown—it was difficult seeing the other man like this.

"Sakumo," he started again, "I've got something important to talk to you about, can you listen to it?"

"Jiraiya..." The other man finally acknowledged, not moving even to look up, his voice barely more than a raspy whisper, "Where's..." He trailed off, a deep frown crossing his face as he attempted to focus, "Where's... Kakashi...?"

"Listen," Jiraiya said again, "That's what I wanna talk to you about..."

"He's... he's not in his... in his room," Sakumo labored to say, "Ino-hime... says his scent is... old..."

Jiraiya sighed in irritation and crouched before the other man to grab his shoulders, "_Listen to me_, would you?!" He asked in irritation, shaking the man a little to get him to look up, "Kakashi's gone on a mission with his sensei, but it seems like something's gone wrong."

Sakumo stared at him blankly.

"Listen, sensei sent out a messenger just a few days ago to cancel the job—we've got too much on our hands right now as it is, without dealing with some Grass village's problems, right?" Jiraiya explained, "Anyway, the bird came back about two days ago and they still haven't shown up. There was no return message, so we can only assume something went wrong, right?"

The other man continued to stare up at him blankly.

Jiraiya sighed in aggravation, "Am I getting through to you at _all_, Sakumo?!" He demanded, "I'm talking about Kakashi! Your son! They were dealing with some kidnapper, so he's probably been kidnapped or something! Do you understand _any_ of this?!"

"Kakashi..." Sakumo said, dropping his head again, "He's..."

"Not in his room, I know," Jiraiya filled in impatiently, "Kakashi's in _trouble_, Sakumo!" He emphasized, "Now are you going to help him or just sit around here rotting away?"

Sakumo looked up, eyes hard all of a sudden and all traces of confusion gone, "Kakashi... where is Kakashi, Jiraiya?"

The sannin grinned in relief, "Last we know, he was in a small village called Kusanagai in Grass Country," he reported, "He went missing from there and has been unaccounted for for at least two days in possibly hostile territory."

Sakumo stared at him for a moment before easing himself off of the ground, using the wall as guidance, "Jiraiya... I have to..." His eyes narrowed as he painstakingly forced his mind to stay focused, "Kakashi..."

"Help Kakashi," Jiraiya supplied, stepping back with a worried frown, "But, Sakumo... can you really do this?" He looked over the other man dubiously, "Maybe I can convince the old man to let me bring someone else."

Sakumo stood where he was for a long moment, emotions flashing through clouded eyes too quickly for Jiraiya to comprehend. The man reached around to his side, hand finding the hilt of his tantō. In an instant he had it drawn, blade in front of him and eyes clear and cold.

"I'll kill anyone who threatens my son, Jiraiya," the man said coldly, voice as hard as the steel of his blade.

Jiraiya grinned again and patted the other man roughly on his shoulder. "Good to hear, pal," he offered brightly, "Now, let's go get 'Kashi-kun back!"

Sakumo nodded sharply, passing Jiraiya to lead the way swiftly to the door. He was halfway to the estate gate when Jiraiya's words stopped him again.

"Er... Sakumo," Jiraiya started awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, "I hate to bring this up, but... it's a long way so you kind of need shoes..."

* * *

-Chapter 7: At the Rock camp-

Minato regarded his teacher warily. Sure, the man appeared calm now, the slight smile on his lips and his closed eyes could even be mistaken as blissful indulgence by an uninformed observer. But Minato knew better. Small hands crowded his sensei and young, excited voices competed at ever-increasing volumes. Jiraiya was close to breaking.

The elder man's eyes slowly opened, the calm he radiated was akin to the calm of a graveyard, but the children around him didn't seem to notice. Minato felt an unexpected rush of pity for the children, who had no idea the dragon they were waking.

"_Shuuut Uuup!!!_" Jiraiya roared suddenly, finally breaking. The children all recoiled in fear and silence settled over the room, broken only by frightened sobs as a few of the children were moved to tears by the man's abrasiveness. Jiraiya eyed the group with a malicious gleam in his eyes—Minato noticed Mochi gripping Kakashi tightly, and even his own student looked a little wary of the man he'd known his whole life.

"Everyone who came here with Kakashi will stay here, everyone else, _get out_!" The man shouted. The children scampered to obey, vacating the room in scant seconds and leaving only about a dozen children, wide-eyed and pale with fear. Jiraiya looked them over again and as his cold gaze passed over her, a young girl that couldn't have been much over three broke into tears. Jiraiya glared in annoyance as an older girl attempted to hush the younger girl.

Minato sighed and walked over to the older man, "Sensei, you're scaring them." Rolling his eyes at his old teacher's ill-natured grunt, the blond placed himself tactfully between the grumpy man and the group of children, smiling gently at them.

"Maa, maa, it's alright, kids," he assured them cheerfully, "Jiraiya-sensei is just grumpy because he hasn't had his nap yet," he winked at the joke and earned a few uncertain smiles, but the children still appeared very nervous and the little girl was crying softly as she was comforted by the older one.

Minato rubbed the back of his head awkwardly—the only experience he'd had with kids was Kakashi, and Kakashi wasn't really like other kids. Even now, as he remembered nothing of his shinobi training, he seemed to have years worth of maturity over the children here.

"Now, now," he said gently, "We aren't going to hurt you. We just want to get everyone home and make sure this doesn't happen again, okay?"

The girl finally stopped crying and there were a few wary nods around the group. At least the children didn't look like they were about to be slaughtered anymore, which Minato took as a good sign. One particularly bold little boy raised his hand, standing closely to the older boy next to him as though for protection.

"Yes?" Minato prompted.

"You're going to bring us back to our mommies and daddies?" The boy asked uncertainly.

Minato grinned, "That's right. Each of you will be taken back to your own homes."

The children brightened further and the man felt encouraged enough to continue, "First, though, we need to know what you remember about the place you were imprisoned before this. Can anyone tell me what it looked like?"

All of the children started to talk at once and Minato, disoriented, managed to pick out at least two completely different structures—one of which was considerably more detailed than the second. He held his hands in front of himself, trying to get the children to calm down.

"Maa, maa... were you all imprisoned in the same place?" Minato asked, somewhat confused.

Kira spoke up, pointing at a group of children that stood together but a little separated from the group he stood amongst, "They all came on later," he supplied, "On the trip here."

"I see," Minato said thoughtfully, "So which of you were with Kakashi-kun, originally?"

The black-haired boy hesitated a moment before raising his hand. He looked around him and several others raised their hands, as well. Minato nodded in recognition.

"Okay, so you five stay in here, and the rest of you go on outside," he instructed reasonably.

The children who were outside of the group slowly left and Minato looked back at Jiraiya, who was unrolling a large map on the floor. The older man looked up when he noticed the blond was staring at him and he gestured impatiently as he pulled out a pen, "Go on."

Turning back to the children, Minato had them describe the building again, "Just one of you tell me, ne?" He added, "The rest can help out if you don't remember, exactly."

"It looked like a big stone castle," the older of the two girls supplied, "With a _big _wall around on the outside."

Minato nodded, "And you all escaped from there, right?"

"Yeah," Kira confirmed with a dejected sigh, "But they caught us again."

"Can you tell me how you got out, and what the outside looked like?" Minato prompted.

The boy started talking with bright eyes, loudly repeating how _he_ had helped Kakashi break them out of their cell, and the small brunette had spoken excitedly about the deep, muddy trench they had climbed up. Minato glanced across at the white-haired boy occasionally for any sign of recognition, but Kakashi was listening as intently as the other shinobi, looking a little surprised as he heard everything he'd done.

"Then Kakashi left us there," Kira said, eyes wide as he repeated this particular part of the story.

_The five children crouched, tense, in the shadow of the castle wall, watching as the other boy raced towards the wall at unbelievable speeds. The boy made a motion as if to throw something and half a second later a loud explosion shook the wall. They tensed further and Kira was about to run when a hand held him back._

"_Kakashi said to wait for two explosions, remember?" Amane whispered to her companion._

"_But," Kira started, watching nervously as more and more guards joined the chase around the other boy—he couldn't possibly do anything to help them, now!_

_Kakashi glanced over his shoulder and threw something through the mob of men following him. A second later another explosion shook the ground and without even waiting for the dust to clear, Kira was tugging the youngest boy to his feet._

"_Come on, Mochi!" He cried as the other children hastily got to their own feet._

_Together, they started to run for the door._

"_But... what about Kakashi-niisan?" Mochi asked with concern, turning his head to watch the retreating group that had followed the older boy._

"_He'll catch up with us later," Kira replied, "He said he'll catch up with us later!"_

_With a little difficulty, the children managed to get out of the rough, uneven hole that had been blasted through the wall and start running again._

"What did you see once you had climbed through the hole?" Minato interrupted carefully.

Kira stared at him blankly, "Huh?"

"Were there trees or a river or lake? Anything at all that you saw?" Minato extrapolated.

"There were trees," Amane supplied hesitantly, "Lots of them—there was a forest in front of us, but we didn't run into it. We would've gotten lost, then."

"So you were on the edge of this forest?" Minato asked.

"Yeah," Kira confirmed, "We ran along the edge of it, so we wouldn't get lost."

"Do you know which direction it was?" Minato asked. At the blank looks on the children, he continued, "Do you remember what direction the sun was? Or what direction the wind was blowing?"

"I remember!" The small, mousy-haired boy exclaimed, hand shooting up into the air. Without waiting for acknowledgement he continued, "It was blowing from behind us—cause I almost fell over cause it was blowing so hard!"

"It was blowing behind you when you were running along the edge of the forest?" Minato asked.

"Yeah!" The boy confirmed.

"Which direction did you go when you left the castle—left or right?" Minato questioned.

"Anô... left, I think..." Amane supplied, face screwed up in concentration as she looked down at her hands as if for some reference.

"... Yeah," Kira confirmed after a moment, "We went left."

Minato nodded and looked behind him at Jiraiya, who was already drawing lines on the map, "The prevailing wind in Grass Country comes out of Earth Country, in the Northwest," Jiraiya stated, penning in lines representing the direction of the wind along the edges of forests.

Minato nodded and turned back to the children, "So, what else happened?"

_The children ran as hard as they could along the line of trees until they heard shouting behind them. They looked over their shoulders and eyes widened at the sight of the men quickly catching up to them._

"_Kira!" Amane called in alarm._

"_What should we do?" The boy cried back, looking at the men nervously, "Where's Kakashi?"_

"_I don't know," Amane called back, "Maybe... he'll be here soon! Let's try to lose them in the woods!"_

_The black haired boy nodded and pulled Mochi along behind him as he turned into the trees. _

"_Where's Kakashi-niisan?" The little boy asked in alarm, hugging his borrowed puppy tightly to himself._

_Kira didn't reply, running as fast as he could drag the younger boy along._

"There's not much else," the dark haired boy supplied moodily, "They caught up to us after that and took us back to the castle."

"We didn't see Kakashi again until we left a few days later," Amane added.

Minato glanced over at Jiraiya again, "Any idea where they might have been, sensei?"

"A few," the older man said gruffly, indicating the map, "There aren't many forests in Kusa no Kuni. Find out where they're from—that should narrow it down to the most likely location."

Minato nodded and turned back to the children expectantly.

* * *

Jiraiya watched the red toad leap into the distance before turning back to the crowd of children behind him, a wicked grin on his face. 

"That's it," he said, "They should be arriving late tonight or tomorrow morning. Remember," he added, shifting the hitai-ate on his forehead, "If they aren't wearing one of these things, take 'em down!"

"Hai!" The older children who were closest to the shinobi replied, clasping their weapons.

Mochi edged away from them, closer to Kakashi—the older kids were kind of scary.

"Kakashi-nii...?" The small boy started nervously, looking up at the older boy.

"Yes?" Kakashi asked, looking down.

"You're... you're leaving now?" Mochi asked.

Kakashi nodded.

"Then... anô..." The boy shifted nervously before thrusting the stuffed puppy he still held at the older boy, "Here!"

Kakashi blinked, them smiled slightly, pushing it back, "You keep him, Mochi-kun. He'll protect you on your way home."

The boy stared up at him with wide eyes, "Anô sa...! But... don't you want him back...?"

"Anô... I don't need him anymore," Kakashi replied awkwardly, looking across at the group of shinobi, "My daddy's here now... And..." He turned back to the younger boy, smiling, "He looks happy with you, Mochi-kun."

Mochi grinned, cuddling the stuffed dog to his chest, "I'll... take care of him for you, niisan," he promised, "Until you come see me?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yeah, Mochi. You can give him back when we see each other again."

"Kakashi!" Minato called out, walking across to the two boys, "Are you ready to go?"

The white-haired boy nodded, "Hai."

"Alright, then let's go," the blond directed, hastily directing Kakashi over to the rest of the group, "Quick, before Jiraiya-sensei can put any more thoughts into these kids' minds..."

"Bye-bye, oniisan!" Mochi called out after them, "Bye, flower-man!"

Minato twitched at the nickname but waved over his shoulder, anyway, "Goodbye, Mochi-chan."

The four shinobi left the camp to a chorus of farewells from the multitude of children gathered behind them. Minato smiled, this mission might not turn out so bad, after all.

* * *

-Chapter 7: On the road—after leaving Earth Country-

Kakashi glanced up at his father, who walked at his side. The White Fang. The few times that he had seen his dad like this had been amazing and even now they stood out in his mind very prominently. A shiver went down the boy's back—like this, his father was unstoppable.

The boy's attention shifted to the back of the men walking some distance in front of them. Jiraiya was like that, too. Kakashi had never seen him in action before. He had been fast and efficient, at least as impressive as his own father to watch... Maybe even more.

The six-year-old glanced back up at the man at his side, a slight frown on his lips. Why was the man so quiet? And what was that strange expression he always saw on his face?

All of a sudden, the unthinkable happened. That odd expression crossed his father's face again and there was a slight stumble in his steps—not enough to take him down, but enough that his son took notice.

"Daddy?" The boy questioned in concern, giving his father an appraising look again—he wasn't hurt, was he?

Sakumo stared down at the boy for a long moment before forcing a smile, "I'm fine, Kakashi," he said, turning his eyes forward again, "We... We'll be home soon."

Kakashi blinked, his frown deepening further and his eyes turning to the ground. _Home?_ "Daddy..." He started slowly, "I thought... Aren't we going to that castle? That's what jiji said..."

The man didn't respond for so long that Kakashi didn't think he was going to. "... Yes... Yes, of course, like Jiraiya says..."

* * *

Jiraiya kept a respectable distance between himself and his friend walking behind him. It was easy enough from where he was to hear Kakashi's young tones, but Sakumo's low replies were lost to him. He didn't need to hear them to guess what they were. He didn't _want_ to hear them. 

At his side, Minato shifted uncomfortably, adjusting the pack on his back which he had somehow been volunteered to carry. "Sakumo-san seems better," he commented idly, attempting conversation with his strangely quiet teacher. "It seems the rumors about him were slightly exaggerated."

The white-haired sannin snorted, "Rumors." He spoke a moment later, "There's more truth to Konoha's rumors than any of us care to admit, kid."

Minato pushed down the instinct to insist he wasn't a kid with the ease of long practice, "But... sensei, the rumors say... well," he glanced over his shoulder at the pair of Hatake walking behind him, "They say he's... unstable... mentally, you know...?" He broke off, a small blush on his cheeks for saying such things about his superior. Even a supposedly mentally unstable superior.

"Like I said," Jiraiya repeated dryly, "There's more truth to those rumors than we care to admit."

The blond looked at his teacher sharply, "Jiraiya! But," he shot another nervous glance over his shoulder, "He seems fine... A little quiet, maybe, but this mission probably hits closer to home than most."

Jiraiya gave a tired sigh and appraised his brilliant student briefly, "I'll tell you the truth, Minato," he started, for once using the young man's name, "That 'White Fang' you saw today... is _nothing_ like the White Fang in his glory days."

Minato's eyes widened slightly, "What do you mean?"

"Before... _that incident_... Sakumo might have been able to best even me with something like this," Jiraiya admitted, "And in a case like this... where his own son's life was on the line... his power would have been at least ten times that you saw today. He wouldn't have even _needed_ me." The man sighed, stretching his arms, "It's true, he looked pretty impressive, but, then, so does any Jounin. It takes more than an average Jounin to become a legend."

"I guess," Minato reluctantly agreed, "But with the way the other shinobi talked... and the way Kakashi _didn't_ talk... I guess I would have expected him to be laid up in bed or something, delusional and unresponsive."

Jiraiya chuckled bitterly, "The White Fang, molding in his death bed? Even insanity couldn't do that to Hatake Sakumo." He shook his head, "Delusional and unresponsive might be true enough, I haven't been able to talk to him enough to find out. But even like that a shinobi of Sakumo's caliber isn't useless, despite what the villagers might think."

"Mark my words, brat," Jiraiya continued, "Once he's out of this rut he's gotten into, then Sakumo will _really_ be something to see. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he even surpassed his old skill! Those Rock-nin will sure be in for it, at least." He chuckled, "And maybe he can knock Orochimaru's ego down a peg or two. He's been left undisputed for too long, it's getting annoying."

Minato eyed his teacher appreciatively, "You really think he'll pull out of this?"

"Of course," the man retorted, "Sakumo's not the kind of guy to be pulled down by a little criticism. Besides, he's survived worse before."

"Like the incident with Kakashi's mother," Minato supplied curiously.

All traces of humor slid from the toad sannin's face, "Yeah... like that..."

Minato frowned, "Sensei, what happened that affected them both so much?"

With a reluctant sigh Jiraiya launched into a low-toned explanation.

* * *

-Chapter 7: Zemin's castle-

"**Sakujo: Kaifuku!**"

Kakashi stumbled backwards, eyes wide as images flooded into him at a baffling rate, too fast to make any sense of.

"Kakashi!" Minato cried in alarm even as the White Fang blurred past him, sword at Zemin's neck instantly.

"Sakumo, wait!" Jiraiya ordered, trying to hold back his friend with one hand on the other man's shoulder while at the same time keeping tabs on Kakashi.

"Bastard," Sakumo growled, tense and ready to deliver the final blow, "What did you do to him?!"

Zemin was frozen where he stood, sweat beading on his forehead, "I've released the seal on his memory," he said hastily, voice shaky, "It's... what you asked for!"

Kakashi reeled, overwhelmed by thoughts and images that seemed both new and old at the same time. Minato caught his body before it could hit the ground and held him carefully.

"Kakashi... Kakashi! Are you alright?" The young man asked anxiously, staring worriedly at the boy's wide, unfocused eyes.

Zemin cried out in alarm when Sakumo's sword harassed him further, drawing blood, "Please, be patient! This technique puts a lot of strain on the mind! Give him a moment to recover!"

Minato leaned over the boy, watching with concern until his eyes finally began to clear, focusing on the man leaning over him.

"Kakashi...?" He prompted hesitantly.

"... Sensei...?" The boy questioned back before sitting up with a groan, hand on his head.

"How do you feel, Kakashi?" Minato questioned nervously.

"..." Kakashi glanced around the room, eyes narrowing slightly and mouth moving towards an unconscious pout, "Sensei, where..." He trailed off as his face lit up with surprise and the boy jumped to his feet.

"Dad! Jiji!" He turned back to look at his teacher in alarm, "Sensei, what happened?"

Minato carefully got to his feet, as well, "Kakashi, what do you remember?"

The boy frowned seriously, "Sensei... it's hard to think, but..." His frown deepened in concentration—Jiraiya thought he looked very much like Sakumo at that moment—then the boy's head came up as he found his answer, "We came here from Takai's camp—I remember, now."

The boy frowned again, "But... what happened... why do I..." He trailed off, thinking hard about the last few days.

"Maybe Zemin-san can explain, hmm?" Jiraiya suggested, looking back at the Grass-nin.

"Zemin!" Kakashi repeated in surprise, looking up. His eyes narrowed as they landed on the man his father still had cornered, "You're the one who was kidnapping children."

The man winced, "Kidnapping is such a cold word..."

Jiraiya snorted, "Cold word, indeed," he grumbled, then brightened, "Time to go to sleep, Zemin-san!" He announced happily, pounding the man on the back of the neck before he had a chance to react to the words.

Sakumo pulled back his sword, ignoring how it lengthened the cut already on the man's neck. He turned instead to Kakashi, stance professional and face stern.

"Are you okay now... Kakashi...?" He asked coolly.

Kakashi met his father's eyes with equally guarded eyes of his own. After a moment, he nodded, "Hai. I think so."

The man nodded in return and turned towards the door, "Good. Then let's go."

Nobody moved for a moment until Jiraiya shifted the man on the ground, making quick work of tying his hands again before moving towards the door himself, "Maa, you heard the man," he stated, "Baka, Kakashi, let's go."

Minato stiffened, heading out after his teacher, "Who are you calling baka, you old pervert?"

Kakashi listened silently as their argument moved farther up the stairs before reluctantly moving forward himself.


End file.
